The music video can be seen as a full extension of a musician's art, offering a visual representation of the music they spent many hours writing and recording. In 2015, a number of metal bands got very creative in the visual ways they presented their songs.

Below you'll find 10 captivating music videos that take the viewer on a ride through the respective  songs. It’s time to vote for the Best Metal Video of 2015 in the 5th Annual Loudwire Music Awards! Check out the nominees below, and keep voting every hour until the polls close on Dec. 1 at 8AM ET!

  • 'The Satanist'

    Behemoth

    Behemoth have built a reputation for releasing some of the best metal videos of the modern age. The Polish extreme metal band take their art seriously whether it's in the studio, on the stage, or on set filming. Attention to detail is high and the video for "The Satanist" follows suit with the band's creative ethos. A girl wanders around a faceless city, stumbling around without a purpose, rejected by everything and everyone she sees. Suddenly, a spark ignites her as she finds her way on the path to the self-illumination of Satanism.

  • 'Morrigan'

    Children of Bodom

    The video for Children of Bodom's "Morrigan" is one of the rare music videos not to feature the band. Commenting on this, director Patric Ullaueus said, “The band decided not to be in the video as they wanted to tell the story about the warrior goddess Morrigan and together with the band we made this tale about a man fighting his inner demons.” The man is seen struggling through various landscapes, with a constant pan back to Morrigan as an incessant reminder.

  • 'Right Wing of the Garden Triptych'

    Cradle of Filth

    Shot in black and white, Cradle of Filth's video for "Right Wing of the Garden Triptych" conveys the gothic feel the band often evokes. Shots pan back and forth in a near epileptic manner between individual band members including Dani Filth in a crown of thorns, a woman bound in rope and flowers, with colored shots peppered in sparingly. The song itself is in a state of fluctuation constantly switching tempos and the video matches it perfectly.

  • 'Planet A'

    The Devil Wears Prada

    The Devil Wears Prada created one of the most visually captivating videos of the year for their song "Planet A." It opens with a clip of an astronaut getting zipped into a spacesuit preparing for launch. The cosmic adventurer propels through space with a bit of turmoil along the way.

  • 'Cirice'

    Ghost

    Ghost created a playful video for 'Cirice,' which sees a group of kids enter a school talent show. Befittingly, it takes place at a Catholic school as the little group is adorned with the traditional garb of Ghost. The young singer is fixated on a girl in the front row, locking eyes and making a connection, singing to her and eventually pulling her on stage. This isn't a love story though, just a frontman who sees someone who needs Satan in her life.

  • 'Speed of Light'

    Iron Maiden

    If you're a fan of video games then this is the video for you! Iron Maiden's "Speed of Light" showcases all eras of video games by taking us through the decade as Eddie goes on a hunt to collect a series of hearts. The last heart needed to complete the collection is his own and he rips it from his chest to complete the quest. The band even launched a playable counterpart to the video!

  • 'Asleep in the Deep'

    Mastodon

    No, that brownie you just ate didn't have anything extra in it, this is just one trippy video. Mastodon bask in psychedelia with their music and this is a direct reflection of that. A cat is wandering around in a world with little creatures that look like a monkey and Iron Maiden's Eddie had a bunch of babies. After drinking from a saucer of milk, things get even weirder. Hey, we said the brownie was safe, not the milk! The video has a loose plot, but that leaves things open to interpretation.

  • 'Repentless'

    Slayer

    Slayer seem plenty capable of inciting a riot with their music and the video for "Repentless" takes it to another level. A full blown prison riot takes place and you better believe that there's plenty of blood. Knives hack away at bodies and it is literally raining blood in this video, which features some big-screen stars. Oh, did we mention someone gets decapitated? Why are you still reading this and not watching the video!?

  • 'Killpop'

    Slipknot

    One of Slipknot's surprisingly somber songs, "Killpop" is an emotional roller coaster and the abstract video reflects just that. Panning between clips of various members of the band in an abandoned building and women clad in PVC with their faces painted half white and half black, the two groups often meet in the video, though they don't seem conscious of each other most of the time, adding to the mystery.

  • 'Annihilation Affair'

    Torche

    Torche spend a lot of time bordering between rock and metal, not that they probably care much for labels. Their video for the decidedly heavy "Annihilation Affair" is an animated one set in the future. Robots appear to have taken over the world, which is depicted as smoldering and replete with destruction. The robots come across a woman cryogenically preserved in a tube. As they expose her to the outside world, she begins to convulse and dies a painful death, struggling to cling on to life. Welcome your new robot overlords!

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