The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

Sure, music videos aren’t what they used to be since MTV all but dropped the “M.” But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t still bands who give a serious shit about the clips they produce to accompany their songs. 2011 had its share of badass music videos–here are my picks for the 10 best. And if you don’t like my ranking, tell me.

10. Opeth, “The Devil’s Orchard”
The Swedish prog lords have long been regarded as true artists within their field, and in the gorgeous clip, they have the imagery to match their music.



09. Falling in Reverse, “I’m Not a Vampire”
Frontman Ronnie Radke’s struggles with addiction are well documented; here, he shows a winning willingness to laugh at himself, turning his issues with drugs into a hilarious spoof of Celebrity Rehab.



08. Suicide Silence, “You Only Live Once”
What do you get when your band rocks out right in the “range” part of a shooting range? Bloody awesomeness.



07. Asking Alexandria, “To the Stage”
These Brit metalcore maniacs live up to their party-hard image with this debauched, Trainspotting-esque clip, which ends with a twisted surprise cliff-hanger of a climax that suggests that maybe they understand that following in the footsteps of the Crüe ain’t all fun and games, after all.



06. Foo Fighters, “White Limo”
When your limo driver is motherfucking Lemmy Kilmister, you know you’re in for a bumpy ride–and in the best way possible.



05. Behemoth, “Lucifer”
As if overcoming leukemia weren’t epic enough, Behemoth main man Nergal then led his band to make this irresistibly lurid and disturbing video for the 8-minute closer to 2009 album, Evangelion. Warning: NSFW.



04. Mastodon, “Deathbound”
In this video, for a previously unreleased track from the Crack the Skye sessions, the Atlantan prog-metal mad men spoof Mister Roger’s Neighborhood to horns-throwing results. It doesn’t hurt, too, that the song is one of their heaviest in years.



03. Puscifer, “Man Overboard”
Tool’s music video are legendary, of course, and with this clip from his side band Puscifer, frontman Maynard James Keenan delivered surreal visuals worthy of his main outfit.



02. Rammstein, “Mein Land”
When not setting themselves on fire onstage, Rammstein consistently deliver some of the best music videos around, whether baring their bratwurst or not, and they did not disappoint this year with this brilliantly ridiculous retro surfing clip. Who said Germans don’t have a sense of humor?



01. Skrillex, “First of the Year (Equinox)”
Sure, haters will argue that–new Korn album aside–dubstep ain’t “rock,” but there’s no denying that this song’s glitchy breakdowns are heavy as all hell. Or that this video itself is metal as fuck. No wonder Beavis and Butt Head gave it a view–to add to its 23 million on YouTube. In the words of Beavis, “Whoa, that’s cool.”