San Antonio's Rusty Nails thread stoner metal's hazy riff worship with grunge grit, drawing on both genres' working-class rawness to produce a sound that feels lived-in and deliberately unglamorous since 2017.

Dallas groove metal band formed in 2021, rooted in the mid-paced, downtuned chug and hard-hitting rhythmic aggression that defines the groove metal tradition — a Texas act carrying the state's long-standing connection to heavy, riff-driven metal.

Dallas outfit Sik have been blending groove metal's locking rhythmic punch with the fuzz-heavy swagger of stoner metal since 2012, channeling the hard-edged heaviness that has long defined the Texas underground.

Vicious Thrash / Groove Metal from Corpus Christi.

An Austin, Texas groove metal band active since 2016, Slaughter Bought channel the heavy mid-tempo churn and down-tuned riffing that defines the genre into something built for the sweltering Texas live circuit. They represent the heavier end of Austin's famously eclectic music scene.

Southern Dose of Rebellion is a groove metal band from New Braunfels, Texas, formed in 2012, laying down heavy, mid-paced riffs rooted in the groove metal tradition with a Southern Texan sensibility.

Hard-hitting Groove Metal / Metalcore from Dallas.

Surpass and Conquer is a crossover and groove metal band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 2023, bringing the high-energy collision of thrash and hardcore to the Texas-Mexico border city's developing heavy music community.

Houston's The Tenebrian Machine combine the bone-crushing weight of death metal with groove metal's mid-tempo heaviness and rhythmic lockstep, producing a sound rooted in Houston's strong metal tradition of hard-hitting, riff-forward heaviness. Active since 2016, the band emphasizes sheer physical impact over technicality.

World War Metal from Austin featuring members of Imprecation and Morbosidad. Debut full-length Commandoccult released 2022 on Godz Ov War Productions.

Originally from North Pole, Alaska — relocated to Fort Worth in 2007 after working as lumberjacks. Self-described "mountain metal" blending doom, sludge, and progressive elements.

Fort Worth's Unraveler pull from melodic death metal's emotional sweep and groove metal's pummeling mid-tempo stomp, a combination that's become their signature since forming in 2012. They're one of the more textured acts in the DFW heavy music scene.

San Marcos, Texas gave rise to Warhead Wrex in 2019, a band built on the collision of death metal's extremity with groove metal's undeniable physical pull. Situated between Austin and San Antonio in the heart of the Texas metal corridor, they tap into the region's tradition of raw, powerful heavy music while keeping things thick and visceral. The groove is not a concession — it is the whole point.