H2O have been stalwarts of the New York hardcore scene since forming in 1994, playing positive, melodic hardcore punk that bridges the gap between the CBGB era and the modern scene. Vocalist Toby Morse's uplifting lyrical approach and the band's Bad Brains and Minor Threat-inspired energy make them a refreshing counterpoint to hardcore's angrier factions. Albums like 'Go' and 'Nothing to Prove' are celebrations of community, straight edge values, and the enduring power of punk rock positivity.

Named after a demon of transformation, Long Island's Haagenti began with melodic death metal roots before evolving into a heavier, more unrelenting death metal sound over their decade-plus existence. Their trajectory mirrors the demonic namesake — a gradual, deliberate shift into something darker.

Canandaigua, New York's Haborym bludgeons with brutal death metal authority, offering the full-spectrum punishment that the subgenre requires since their 2024 formation. Dense, guttural, and relentless.

Out of Greenwood Lake, New York, Hail Batlord emerged in 2022 with a stripped-down, ferocious approach to black metal. Unadorned and unapologetic, they lean into the raw primitiveness the genre was built on.

Named for the Chinese sea god, Rochester's Haishen bring a progressive metal sensibility to upstate New York since 2020. Technically ambitious and melodically adventurous, they favor complexity over brute force.

Utica, New York's Half Dead arrived in 2022 with a mission to play straightforward, ugly death metal without pretense. What they lack in history they make up for in sheer downtuned brutality.

Rochester's Hallucination Realized play grindcore with the frantic urgency the format demands — short, explosive, and loud enough to rattle teeth. Part of a small but active upstate New York extreme underground since 2018.

New York's Hallux carve out a sludge/doom sound built on weight and repetition — riffs that settle in and refuse to leave, tempos that drag the listener through the muck. Formed in 2018, location unspecified, but the music speaks clearly enough.

Rochester, New York's Halothane approach melodic and progressive death metal with the methodical focus the genre demands, weaving technical ambition into compositions that never lose their emotional thread. Active since 2019.