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200 Stab Wounds work with low, sharply defined guitar riffs and a rhythm section that keeps the music moving through changes of pace. ‘Hands of Eternity’ is our way into their death metal. Follow the shifts between dense instrumental passages and more open grooves to hear the arrangement's range.

Official video image: 200 Stab Wounds.

Ad Infinitum combine symphonic textures, modern metal guitar work and prominent vocal melodies. ‘Outer Space’ is our selected introduction. The track is a useful entry for listeners interested in a balance between atmosphere and rhythmic weight, with contrasting vocal colours helping the arrangement move between its softer and heavier edges.

Official video image: Ad Infinitum.

Alien Weaponry bring Māori language and cultural perspective into a groove-metal framework. ‘Kai Tangata’ is our selected introduction to that sound. The guitar rhythms provide an immediate point of entry, while the vocal delivery gives the track a distinctive character that encourages exploration beyond a familiar metal reference point.

Official video image: Alien Weaponry.

Alpha Wolf bring a wiry, groove-heavy edge to metalcore, with abrasive textures and a direct rhythmic attack. ‘Akudama’ gets to that character quickly. Listen for the clipped guitar figures and changes of emphasis: the track's impact depends on precision and momentum as much as on its distorted sound.

Official video image: Alpha Wolf.

As Everything Unfolds combine clear melodic singing with the weight and urgency of post-hardcore. ‘Hiding from Myself’ is an accessible starting track. Follow the movement between the more spacious passages and the full-band impact: it is that contrast, rather than heaviness alone, that gives this sound its pull.

Official video image: As Everything Unfolds.

Bad Omens bring electronic textures and close, melodic vocals into an alternative-metal setting. The title track ‘The Death of Peace of Mind’ makes an effective introduction to that balance. Begin with the quieter details, then follow how the arrangement expands around the voice rather than relying on constant distortion.

Official video image: Bad Omens.

Better Lovers work in the space between metalcore's physical attack and mathcore's abrupt changes of direction. ‘A White Horse Covered in Blood’ gives new listeners a clear entry point. Follow the push and pull between unstable-sounding guitar figures and the firm rhythmic backbone underneath them.

Official video image: Better Lovers.

Blackbraid connects black metal's abrasive force to expansive melodies and imagery drawn from the natural world. ‘Sacandaga’ is our chosen starting point, linked here through the project's own official upload. The track offers a route for listeners interested in the relationship between extreme-metal intensity and a more atmospheric, landscape-like musical scale.

Official video image: Blackbraid.

Blackbriar bring a gothic sensibility to symphonic metal, placing an expressive vocal melody within layered, atmospheric arrangements. ‘Cicada’ is our suggested first stop. The appeal lies in the relationship between the voice and the surrounding instrumental detail, making it a natural choice for listeners drawn to narrative mood and musical drama.

Official video image: Blackbriar.

Bleed make guitar-heavy alternative rock with a firm rhythmic backbone and vocals that sit within the instrumental weight. ‘Marathon’ offers a direct introduction. The sound will appeal to listeners interested in the space between grunge, heavier shoegaze and alternative metal, where a thick guitar tone can carry both force and atmosphere.

Official video image: Bleed.

Bloodywood combine heavy guitars, rap delivery and Indian folk textures. ‘Ari Ari’, featuring Raoul Kerr, is our suggested first listen. The rhythmic interaction is a major part of the appeal, making this an accessible entry for listeners who enjoy metal that draws its energy from several musical traditions at once.

Official video image: Bloodywood.

Bloom combine melodic hardcore's forward drive with an emotionally exposed vocal approach. ‘Bound to Your Whispers’ is our suggested introduction. The guitar melodies add another layer to the intensity, making this a useful choice for listeners who want their heavy music to retain a strong sense of feeling and tune.

Official video image: Bloom.

Boundaries pair forceful metalcore rhythms with a stark, emotionally direct vocal presence. ‘Easily Erased’ is our selected way into that sound. The track makes a strong case for listening to the changing guitar textures and vocal contrasts, rather than treating its heaviest moments as the whole story.

Official video image: Boundaries.

Brand of Sacrifice surround deathcore instrumentation with symphonic colour and electronic detail. ‘Lifeblood’, shown here through the band's official visualiser, is our starting point. The layered arrangement gives listeners more to follow than the heaviest guitar figures, with the surrounding textures contributing to its dramatic scale.

Official video image: Brand of Sacrifice.

Brutus combine expressive singing, propulsive drumming and spacious guitar work in a sound that crosses post-hardcore and post-rock. The official ‘War’ performance at Rain City is our starting point. Watching the arrangement build makes a particularly clear introduction to the band's dynamic range and tightly connected performance style.

Official video image: Brutus.

Burning Witches bring strong vocal melodies, substantial riffs and twin-guitar detail to traditional heavy metal. ‘The Dark Tower’ is our starting point. The track provides a useful introduction for listeners drawn to theatrical atmosphere and classic metal songwriting, with the instrumental weight giving the melodic passages a firm foundation.

Official video image: Burning Witches.

Calva Louise bring electronic texture, forceful guitars and an ambitious visual identity into the same frame. ‘Third Class Citizen’ is our selected introduction to that combination. The music offers a route into alternative rock for listeners who enjoy sharp changes of texture and a strong relationship between sound and imagery.

Official video image: Calva Louise.

Cassyette brings a distinctive, gritty vocal tone to music that crosses alternative rock and heavier guitar styles. ‘Dear Goth’ is a useful first introduction. Listen for the movement between the melodic phrasing and the more abrasive moments: the voice is the thread tying the changing textures together.

Official video image: Cassyette.

New York’s Castle Rat build a medieval world around doom metal, with costumed characters and a theatrical identity that carries across their videos. Their second album, The Bestiary, offers a substantial route into that world. Start with ‘WIZARD’ for an introduction to the group’s combination of heavy music and fantasy imagery. The appeal here is the way a whole visual universe grows around the songs.

Official video image: Castle Rat.

Cobra Spell combine melodic hard-rock songwriting with prominent guitar leads and a theatrical visual identity. ‘Addicted to the Night’ is our suggested first listen. It offers a direct entry for listeners who enjoy the polished hooks and instrumental flair associated with classic hard rock, presented with a contemporary recording approach.

Official video image: Cobra Spell.

Conjurer’s third album, Unself, puts questions of identity and alienation inside a broad, heavy framework. The British band’s music draws together elements of sludge, post-metal and more direct metal aggression. ‘All Apart’, issued with the album in 2025, is our starting point. It introduces a group whose writing makes space for personal subject matter within the physical force of the music.

Official video image: Conjurer / Nuclear Blast Records.

Crypta build their death metal around forceful vocals, detailed guitar work and a tightly connected rhythm section. ‘From the Ashes’ is our selected introduction. Listen for the relationship between the lead guitar lines and the heavier underlying riffs: the contrast gives the song definition without reducing its intensity.

Official video image: Crypta.

Currents balance detailed guitar work, muscular rhythms and melodic vocal passages. ‘Retributioner’ is the entry we have chosen for this directory. Listen for the relationship between the sharply defined instrumental parts and the wider atmospheric layers: that tension gives their progressive metalcore a sense of scale.

Official video image: Currents.

Diamond Construct fold electronic processing and a nu-metal sense of rhythm into modern metalcore. ‘Switchblade OST’ is a direct route into that hybrid sound. The processed textures are part of the track's character, giving the guitars and vocals an unstable edge without removing the physical pull of the groove.

Official video image: Diamond Construct.

Distant work with deep guitar tones, extreme vocals and crushing rhythmic changes. ‘Exofilth’ is a concentrated introduction to their deathcore approach. Listen for how the gaps and shifts in pace create tension: the music's force comes from the arrangement of its attacks as well as their sheer weight.

Official video image: Distant.

Drug Church balance a confrontational vocal style with guitar parts that carry their own melodic weight. ‘Demolition Man’ is our suggested first stop. Listen to the tension between the voice and the instrumental hooks: it gives the band's post-hardcore approach a character beyond sheer volume or aggression.

Official video image: Drug Church.

Portland’s Dying Wish connect metalcore songwriting with the communal energy of hardcore. Fragments of a Bitter Memory and Symptoms of Survival established that approach, before the band expanded their catalogue with Flesh Stays Together. We have chosen ‘Watch My Promise Die’ as a starting track from the earlier chapter. It provides a direct introduction before you move into the group’s more recent work.

Official video image: Dying Wish / SharpTone Records.

Employed to Serve bring a strong rhythmic focus to music that crosses metalcore and groove metal. ‘Sun Up to Sun Down’ is our chosen entry point. Listen to the way the guitar patterns work around the drums and voice, creating forward movement without relying on a constant rush of notes.

Official video image: Employed to Serve.

Los Angeles trio Faetooth describe their music as fairy doom, an inviting clue to a sound that draws from doom, shoegaze and grunge. Their second album, Labyrinthine, arrived through The Flenser after the debut Remnants of the Vessel. Start with the official video for ‘Hole’, then explore the longer album setting. Faetooth make a strong discovery for listeners interested in the atmospheric edges of heavy music.

Promotional image: Faetooth / The Flenser.

Fleshwater join weighty alternative-rock guitars to melodic vocals and a worn, dreamlike atmosphere. ‘Kiss the Ladder’ gets to the point quickly, making it an accessible introduction to the band's sound. Listen for the way the vocal melody remains distinct inside the dense, distorted guitar texture.

Official video image: Fleshwater.

Foreign Hands combine abrasive metalcore with clean melodic passages and an emotionally charged atmosphere. ‘God Under Fingernails’ introduces that contrast without losing the weight of the guitars. It is an appealing starting point for listeners who want intensity and melody to remain closely entangled rather than separated into predictable sections.

Official video image: Foreign Hands.

Frozen Soul make death metal that values a powerful riff, measured momentum and the weight of a low guitar tone. ‘Morbid Effigy’, featuring John Gallagher, is our chosen opening. The arrangement leaves enough room around its main figures for their impact to register, making the groove an important part of the sound.

Official video image: Frozen Soul.

Future Palace set impassioned vocals against a blend of melodic post-hardcore, heavy guitars and electronic atmosphere. ‘Malphas’ provides a straightforward way into that mix. The attraction is the way the voice carries the song through changes in intensity, giving the heavier passages an emotional focus as well as a physical one.

Official video image: Future Palace.

Future Static balance intricate heavy instrumentation with prominent vocal melodies. ‘Venenosa’ is our chosen doorway into their progressive metalcore. It offers a good introduction for listeners who enjoy technical detail but still want a strong song at the centre, with changing textures giving the guitars room to breathe.

Official video image: Future Static.

Gaerea combine forceful black-metal rhythms with layered guitars and a dramatic sense of atmosphere. ‘Salve’ is our selected introduction. It rewards attention to the melodic movement inside the density, making this a useful entry for listeners who want extreme music to carry both sustained intensity and an expansive emotional character.

Official video image: Gaerea.

Gatecreeper combine a substantial death-metal guitar sound with memorable melodic lines and a clear rhythmic drive. ‘The Black Curtain’ is our selected entry point. It is an accessible first listen for those curious about extreme metal that keeps its instrumental weight while giving the lead guitars room to carry a tune.

Official video image: Gatecreeper.

Glare create a substantial wall of guitar sound while keeping melody within reach. ‘Guts’ is our selected first listen, offering a route into shoegaze with a strong sense of physical weight. The vocals and distortion share the same space, inviting attention to texture rather than a clean separation between lead and backing.

Official video image: Glare.

Graphic Nature emerged from Kent with a sound combining nu metal, metalcore and electronic textures. The band’s name itself points to Deftones’ Koi No Yokan, while their own catalogue includes A Mind Waiting to Die and Who Are You When No One Is Watching? Our starting upload is ‘Faceless’, released through Century Media’s official channel. Follow it into the albums for a broader introduction to the band’s world.

Official video image: Graphic Nature / Century Media Records.

Green Lung draw on British folklore, occult rock and the theatrical traditions of heavy metal. Their catalogue stretches from Woodland Rites to Necropolitan, giving new listeners several routes into a distinctive musical world. The animated ‘Ozymandias’ video is our chosen introduction, connecting the band’s music with visual storytelling. From there, explore the albums for the wider setting of their myths, legends and darkly imaginative imagery.

Promotional photograph: Green Lung / Nuclear Blast Records.

Tokyo’s HANABIE. call their approach Harajuku-core. Their label describes a mix of metalcore breakdowns, hardcore punk and electronics, paired with a strong visual identity. ‘Be the GAL ~Early Summer ver.~’ is the official video we recommend as a first stop. It opens a route into a band whose presentation brings colour and personality into an unapologetically heavy musical framework.

Promotional image: HANABIE. / Sony Music UK.

Heriot’s debut album, Devoured by the Mouth of Hell, brought the British group’s heavy approach into a full-length setting through Century Media. The album connects metalcore intensity with industrial and atmospheric elements. ‘Siege Lord’, one of its official videos, is a direct place to begin. Follow it into the complete record to hear how the band develop that identity across a larger sequence of songs.

Official video image: Heriot / Century Media Records.

High Vis connect hardcore energy to post-punk guitar textures and an expansive melodic sense. ‘Mind's a Lie’ is a useful introduction to their willingness to move beyond a straightforward punk arrangement. The sound offers a route between guitar-driven intensity and the more atmospheric side of alternative music.

Official video image: High Vis.

Ho99o9 combine rap delivery, punk abrasion and industrial electronics in music that thrives on collision. ‘BATTERY NOT INCLUDED’ is a concentrated introduction to that approach. Follow the interaction between the beat and the vocal attack: the track's momentum comes from their friction as much as from the distorted textures.

Official video image: Ho99o9.

Holy Fawn build immersive songs from delicate textures, substantial guitars and dramatic changes in intensity. ‘Dark Stone’ is our selected doorway into that sound. It rewards listening beyond the loudest moments, with the quieter passages creating the space that allows the heavier sections to feel so expansive.

Official video image: Holy Fawn.

Hot Milk combine emo's emotional directness with substantial alternative-rock choruses and contrasting vocal voices. ‘HORROR SHOW’ is our entry point into that sound. Its melodic focus makes it accessible, while the shifting vocal character and harder guitar edges give listeners more to follow than the chorus alone.

Official video image: Hot Milk.

Stephen Harrison and Aric Improta formed House of Protection with a shared background in Fever 333 and experience across other heavy projects. Their work moves between hardcore, punk and electronic music, with the GALORE EP establishing the collaboration. Start with ‘Pulling Teeth’: its official video places the duo inside a spectacular well-of-death performance setting. It gives the project’s physical, adventurous presentation a particularly memorable introduction.

Official video image: House of Protection.

Invent Animate place intricate metalcore instrumentation inside spacious, atmospheric arrangements. ‘Without a Whisper’ is a particularly accessible introduction to the melodic side of that approach. The quieter textures give the heavier passages context, inviting listeners to follow the entire arrangement rather than wait for a single climactic section.

Official video image: Invent Animate.

Jesus Piece make metallic hardcore that places a heavy emphasis on rhythm, tension and the impact of a riff. ‘Gates of Horn’ offers a focused introduction. Its force comes from the way the instruments lock together, making the space between attacks as important as the volume of the guitars.

Official video image: Jesus Piece.

julie connect shoegaze textures to the restless guitar language of noise rock. ‘clairbourne practice’ offers a useful introduction to the way their arrangements move between restraint and abrasion. Listen for the interplay between the voices and guitars: the music keeps a rough edge even when its melodies feel close and understated.

Official video image: julie.

Kanonenfieber combine blackened death metal with a visual and lyrical focus on the First World War. ‘Der Maulwurf’ is our selected entry point. Its driving rhythms and melodic guitar figures provide a clear introduction to the musical approach, while the official video gives context to the project's historical presentation.

Official video image: Kanonenfieber.

Kid Kapichi make guitar-led punk with a direct vocal approach and substantial rhythmic weight. ‘New England’, featuring Bob Vylan, is our selected first listen. The different vocal deliveries add to its character, offering a useful introduction to a band whose hooks retain a rough, confrontational edge.

Official video image: Kid Kapichi.

Knocked Loose favour sharp rhythmic turns, abrasive vocals and a physical sense of momentum. ‘Suffocate’, featuring Poppy, offers a concentrated introduction to their metalcore approach. The contrast between voices gives the track another edge, while the stop-start guitar work keeps its intensity tightly focused.

Official video image: Knocked Loose.

Lake Malice bring together heavy guitar music and electronic elements, with vocalist Alice Guala and guitarist Blake Cornwall at the centre of the project. ‘Bloodbath’ is our chosen starting point, available through the band’s official video. It is an accessible way into their catalogue for listeners who like alternative metal to explore synthetic textures as well as live-band force. Continue through the official artist links to find more music.

Official video image: Lake Malice.

Loathe make room for both abrasive metal and the hazier textures of shoegaze. ‘Two-Way Mirror’ highlights the melodic, atmospheric side of that combination. It is a good opening for listeners drawn to suspended guitar tones and intimate vocals before exploring the heavier corners of the band's catalogue.

Official video image: Loathe.

LOVEBITES bring soaring vocal melodies, agile guitar leads and a strong rhythmic drive to power metal. ‘Glory to the World’ is our suggested introduction. It is an accessible entry for listeners who enjoy the detail of traditional heavy-metal guitar work alongside a clear sense of drama and a substantial chorus.

Official video image: LOVEBITES.

Magnolia Park connect melodic pop-punk instincts with electronic production and heavier alternative textures. ‘Animal’, a collaboration with PLVTINUM and Ethan Ross, is our starting point. The different voices give the track a changing character, making it a useful opening for listeners interested in the borders between rock, pop and metal.

Official video image: Magnolia Park.

Make Them Suffer move between heavy guitar patterns, electronic details and contrasting vocal textures. ‘Doomswitch’ is a useful first stop because it presents those elements in a focused arrangement. It offers a bridge between the more extreme and more melodic sides of this listening list.

Official video image: Make Them Suffer.

Malevolence combine a hardcore sense of physical impact with groove-metal guitar writing and melodic touches. ‘On Broken Glass’ is a clear way into that combination. The track offers a useful bridge for listeners who enjoy forceful vocals and heavy rhythms but also want a memorable melodic shape.

Official video image: Malevolence.

Meet Me @ The Altar combine energetic pop-punk with nimble instrumental parts and clear vocal hooks. ‘Feel a Thing’ is our selected way into their catalogue. The track offers a useful reminder that direct, melodic songwriting can leave plenty of room for rhythmic detail and personality in the guitars.

Official video image: Meet Me @ The Altar.

Militarie Gun put rough-edged vocals and economical guitar writing inside compact, melodic songs. ‘Do It Faster’ is a particularly direct entry point. The sound has a punk sense of urgency, but the hooks make it accessible to listeners coming from alternative rock rather than hardcore alone.

Official video image: Militarie Gun.

MØL connect black metal's speed and vocal intensity with bright, layered guitar textures. ‘Photophobic’ is a useful introduction to that blackgaze balance. Listen for the melodic guitar lines moving through the heavier arrangement: they give the music an expansive quality without softening its rhythmic attack.

Official video image: MØL.

Houston’s Narrow Head connect substantial guitar textures with a strong interest in melody. Their third album, Moments of Clarity, followed Satisfaction and 12th House Rock through a catalogue that brings heaviness and songwriting together. The title track is our starting point. Its official video gives new listeners a convenient first step before exploring the complete album and the band’s earlier work.

Official video image: Narrow Head / Run For Cover Records.

NEMOPHILA combine substantial guitar riffs, intricate instrumental playing and vocals that shift between melodic and abrasive approaches. ‘DISSENSION’ is our selected starting point. The contrast between those elements gives the music its character, offering a route into Japanese heavy metal for listeners who enjoy both technical detail and immediate impact.

Official video image: NEMOPHILA.

Nervosa favour fast, tightly articulated guitar work and forceful vocals in a direct thrash-metal setting. ‘Endless Ambition’ makes an effective first listen. Its impact comes from the interaction between the riff changes and the rhythm section, making the track an accessible route for listeners who want speed with clear instrumental definition.

Official video image: Nervosa.

Northlane combine precise, progressive guitar work with electronic textures and spacious vocal passages. ‘Clockwork’ makes a clear first stop for that balance. Listen to the repeating rhythmic figures and the layers surrounding them: they give the music a dance-like momentum without removing the weight of the band.

Official video image: Northlane.

Nova Twins build a distinctive alternative-rock sound around heavily processed bass and guitar textures, tight rhythms and forceful vocals. ‘Antagonist’ is an immediate entry point. Listen for the instrumental sounds as well as the hook: the band's use of texture is central to the track's physical impact.

Official video image: Nova Twins.

Ocean Grove approach heavy alternative music with a strong sense of groove and a taste for contrasting textures. ‘JUNKIE$’ offers a direct introduction to that character. The appeal is in the combination of rhythmic looseness and memorable vocal phrasing, making it a natural crossing point between nu metal and alternative rock.

Official video image: Ocean Grove.

Orbit Culture join heavy rhythmic guitar work to the melodic instincts of Swedish metal. ‘While We Serve’ is our suggested first listen. The contrast between the tightly defined riffs and the wider melodic layers gives the track its scale, offering a bridge between groove-led heaviness and a more cinematic sound.

Official video image: Orbit Culture.

Paleface Swiss combine deathcore intensity with the blunt rhythmic impact of beatdown hardcore. ‘Please End Me’ offers a direct introduction to that sound. Its interest lies in the changing vocal character and the way the band uses space around the low guitar figures to sharpen their impact.

Official video image: Paleface Swiss.

Polaris combine agile guitar writing with clear melodic hooks and forceful metalcore rhythms. ‘Nightmare’ provides an immediate introduction to that balance. The interest lies in how the instrumental detail supports the song's vocal movement, giving listeners both an accessible first impression and more to follow on a second play.

Official video image: Polaris.

Pupil Slicer combine abrupt rhythmic turns, abrasive vocals and detailed heavy guitar writing. ‘No Temple’ is a forceful introduction to the band's mathcore language. The track rewards following its changes closely: the movement between tightly controlled riffs and more expansive textures is central to its impact.

Official video image: Pupil Slicer.

RedHook combine alternative-rock songwriting with electronic flourishes and flashes of heavier guitar music. ‘Breaking Up With’ is a direct first listen. The contrast between its melodic accessibility and rougher textures gives the track its character, making it a useful stop for listeners moving between the rock and alternative filters.

Official video image: RedHook.

Reliqa make alternative metal with a progressive approach to rhythm and an expressive melodic centre. ‘Terminal’ is our selected introduction. The song is a useful entry for listeners who enjoy hearing a vocal line move around detailed instrumental parts rather than simply follow the guitar's rhythm.

Official video image: Reliqa.

Rolling Quartz make guitar-driven hard rock with clear vocal melodies and a strong rhythmic foundation. ‘Blaze’ is our suggested first stop. The song gives listeners a direct introduction to the band's instrumental interplay, with the guitars, bass and drums supporting a melody that remains at the centre of the arrangement.

Official video image: Rolling Quartz.

Rolo Tomassi move between intricate heavy passages and more spacious, melodic arrangements. ‘Drip’ is our suggested first listen for that progressive approach. Rather than treating the quieter sections as an interval, follow how they reshape the intensity of the heavier music and make the song's changes feel connected.

Official video image: Rolo Tomassi.

Scene Queen connects playful pop colour, electronic production and abrasive metal textures. ‘Pink Rover’ is a direct introduction to that deliberately exaggerated contrast. It is a useful starting point for listeners interested in heavy music that treats attitude, visual presentation and sharp changes in tone as part of the same language.

Official video image: Scene Queen.

Scowl sit at an engaging meeting point between hardcore's urgency and alternative rock's melodic possibilities. ‘Opening Night’ provides a direct route into that combination. It leaves space for a memorable tune while retaining a raw guitar attack, making it a useful bridge between the two sides of this directory.

Official video image: Scowl.

Silent Planet bring electronic texture and a strong sense of atmosphere to progressive metalcore. ‘Antimatter’ is an effective starting point for that combination. Follow the interplay between the repeating electronic elements and the shifting weight of the band: the contrast helps the song feel expansive without losing its rhythmic focus.

Official video image: Silent Planet.

Sleep Token combine progressive heaviness with soulful singing and spacious, pop-aware arrangements. ‘The Summoning’ is our way in, particularly for listeners who like a song to change shape as it unfolds. Its appeal lies in the movement between restraint, force and an unexpectedly elastic groove.

Official video image: Sleep Token.

Softcult use layered, distorted guitars and close vocal melodies to create an atmospheric alternative-rock sound. ‘Drain’ is our way into that combination. The song offers an accessible route for listeners coming from shoegaze, while its defined vocal line provides a point of focus inside the hazier instrumental textures.

Official video image: Softcult.

Soul Glo bring a restless, rhythmically agile attack to hardcore punk. ‘Gold Chain Punk (whogonbeatmyass?)’ is a forceful introduction to the band's rapid changes of pace and vocal intensity. It rewards close attention to the rhythm section as well as the immediate impact of the guitars and voice.

Official video image: Soul Glo.

SPEED bring a direct, groove-led attack to Australian hardcore. ‘The First Test’ is an immediate introduction to that physical approach, with a video that places performance at the centre. The track's rhythmic shifts make it a useful starting point for listeners who want heaviness with a strong sense of movement.

Official video image: Speed.

Spiritbox move between tightly controlled metalcore, spacious electronics and clear vocal melodies. ‘Circle With Me’ is a useful first listen because it puts those contrasts inside one compact song. Follow the shifts in weight and vocal delivery: the hook matters as much as the heavy sections.

Official video image: Spiritbox.

Led by Stu Folsom, Las Vegas project SpiritWorld develops a distinctive western-horror setting around heavy music. Helldorado follows Pagan Rhythms and Deathwestern, extending the project’s interest in macabre Americana. ‘Abilene Grime’ is the album opener and our recommended first stop. Its official video introduces that particular world before the full record takes you further into the concept.

Stu Folsom of SpiritWorld. Photograph: Jennifer Olsen; Century Media.

Split Chain call their blend of shoegaze, nu metal and emo ‘dreamo’. The Bristol band’s motionblur provides the album-length introduction, while the expanded edition offers further ways into their sound. Our pick is ‘The Space in Between [DLX]’, featuring postdrome, as presented on the band’s official website. Explore from there if your favourite alternative rock moves between hazy atmosphere and substantial guitar weight.

Photograph: Ashlea Bea. Split Chain / Epitaph Records.

Stand Atlantic bring a bright melodic focus to pop-punk while leaving room for electronic details and rougher sounds. ‘deathwish’, featuring nothing,nowhere., is our selected entry. The shifting vocal character adds another dimension to the song's direct hooks, offering a route beyond a straightforward guitar-pop arrangement.

Official video image: Stand Atlantic.

Static Dress connect post-hardcore and metalcore with an elaborate visual identity. Their debut Rouge Carpet Disaster, later expanded in a Redux edition, established a detailed setting around the music. We have selected the official video for ‘crying’ as a first encounter. It offers a convenient route into the band before you explore the album, its companion releases and the wider creative world around them.

Archive promotional photograph: Static Dress / Warner Music Japan.

Superheaven build their alternative rock around substantial guitar tones, steady grooves and direct vocal melodies. ‘Youngest Daughter’, presented here in the band's official visualiser, is a clear starting point. Its appeal comes from the friction between the weight of the instrumentation and the relative vulnerability of the singing.

Official video image: Superheaven.

The HU bring traditional Mongolian instruments and vocal techniques into guitar-driven rock and metal. ‘Yuve Yuve Yu’ is a clear starting point for that distinctive combination. Listen to the melodic and rhythmic roles of the different instruments, rather than treating the traditional elements as decoration around a conventional rock arrangement.

Official video image: The HU.

Australian group Thornhill have developed their identity across records including Heroine and BODIES. Their work sits at the meeting point of alternative metal, atmosphere and a carefully considered visual presentation. ‘Silver Swarm’, released through UNFD’s official channel, is our selected entry. It gives listeners a starting point for the BODIES chapter before they move through the complete record and the band’s earlier catalogue.

Photograph: Jon Pisani. Thornhill / UNFD.

Trauma Ray work with dense guitar tones, measured rhythms and a brooding alternative-rock atmosphere. ‘Chameleon’ is our suggested starting track. It is a useful choice for listeners who want shoegaze's immersive qualities without losing the definition of a riff or the steady pull of the rhythm section.

Official video image: Trauma Ray.

Unto Others bring a gothic character to heavy music, with Never, Neverland continuing the band’s exploration of that space. ‘Butterfly’ is our chosen starting track, available in an official Century Media video. For listeners drawn to a darker mood as well as guitar-led songwriting, it provides an opening into the catalogue. Follow the official music links to explore how the group develop that identity across their records.

Official video image: Unto Others / Century Media Records.

URNE connect substantial riffs to a progressive sense of song structure. ‘Be Not Dismayed’ is our suggested introduction to their combination of weight and melody. It is a useful stop for listeners who want a heavy band to leave room for instrumental development and changes of atmosphere.

Official video image: URNE.

VEXED place Megan Targett’s versatile vocals at the centre of a technical, contemporary metal approach. Culling Culture and Negative Energy provide the main routes into their recorded work through Napalm Records. We recommend beginning with the official video for ‘Anti-Fetish’. From that starting point, the albums offer a fuller introduction to the group’s combination of precise instrumentation, vocal range and concentrated heaviness.

Official video image: VEXED / Napalm Records.

Voice of Baceprot combine sharp guitar riffs, prominent bass and forceful drumming in a direct heavy-rock sound. ‘God, Allow Me (Please) to Play Music’ is our chosen opening. The interplay between the instruments gives the song its momentum, making it an engaging starting point for listeners drawn to groove-led guitar music.

Official video image: Voice of Baceprot.

Wargasm join electronic rhythms, abrasive guitars and contrasting vocals in a highly charged alternative-metal sound. ‘Do It So Good’ makes an effective first stop. Its attraction is the movement between a dance-oriented pulse and heavier guitar-led passages, keeping both sides of the sound in active conversation.

Official video image: Wargasm.

Windwaker move freely between melodic singing, electronic colour and heavy guitar music. ‘SIRENS’ is a useful opening for listeners curious about alternative metal with a pop-aware sense of arrangement. Its contrasts are the attraction: the melodic passages and heavier textures work together to give the song its changing shape.

Official video image: Windwaker.

Manchester quartet Witch Fever connect punk’s confrontational character with darker, doom-influenced heaviness. Their label’s introduction points to Black Sabbath, Savages and early Nirvana as useful reference points for the sound. We have chosen the title track from Congregation as a place to begin. Its official video opens a route into a band whose identity joins a strong visual presence to heavy, direct guitar music.

Promotional photograph: Witch Fever / Sony Music UK.