Cleveland's Torment blends speed and thrash metal in the tradition of a city that has produced hard-hitting heavy acts for decades. Formed in 2021, they bring a tightly wound, velocity-obsessed approach that nods toward the NWOBHM-influenced speed metal roots of the genre.

Cincinnati's Trash Knight have been flying the crossover thrash flag since 2019, blending the speed and aggression of classic Bay Area thrash with the working-class punch of hardcore punk.

Formed in 2022 out of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Trenchgoat bring a hard rock backbone to their blend of heavy and thrash metal, landing somewhere between throwback aggression and arena-adjacent hooks. They're a young band with a sound that leans on the visceral pleasure of the riff.

War Curse formed in Cincinnati, Ohio in 2013, playing old-school thrash metal with a contemporary edge that draws on Bay Area and Teutonic traditions. The band released their debut material through Static Tension Recordings before signing to Blacklight Media/Metal Blade Records, under which they released Eradication (2019) and Confession (2023), steadily building a reputation as one of the more consistent acts in the current American thrash underground.