The 10 Best 90’s Heavy Metal Music Videos

Looking for some great heavy metal music videos from the 90’s? Check out our list of the 10 best ones!

Best Overall

Topping our list at number one is Pantera’s “5 Minutes Alone.” The video features the band performing in a cage while various people, including a nun and a clown, try to attack them. It’s a classic metal video that perfectly captures the energy and intensity of the band’s music.

At number two is Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.” The video features the band performing in a desert while various scenes from nightmares play out in the background. It’s a creepy and unforgettable video that perfectly captures the dark tone of the song.

Rounding out our top three is Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box.” The video features the band performing in a snow-covered forest while scenes from a variety of horror movies play in the background. It’s a creepy and unsettling video that perfectly captures the dark and depressing tone of Kurt Cobain’s lyrics.

Best Performance

Topping our list is Pantera with their hit song “5 Minutes Alone”. Directed by Nathanial Hörnblowér, this video features the band performing in front of a raucous and appreciative audience. The stage light show and dynamic camerawork compliment the intensity of the music perfectly, making this one of the best metal performances caught on film.

Best Concept

1. “Best of You” by Foo Fighters
2. “Bother” by Stone Sour
3. “Burn It to the Ground” by Nickelback
4. “Chop Suey!” by System of a Down
5. “Clocks” by Coldplay
6. “Crazy Bitch” by Buckcherry
7. “Dammit” by Blink-182
8. “Enter Sandman” by Metallica
9. “Far Away” by Nickelback
10. “Headstones and the Walking Dead” By E-Type

Best Visuals

The 90’s were a great time for heavy metal music, with bands like Metallica, Slayer, and Megadeth churning out classic album after classic album. But it was also a great time for metal music videos, with directors like Wayne Isham andThomas Mignone creating some of the most iconic visuals in the history of the genre.

So what are the best 90’s metal music videos? Here are our picks for the 10 best:

10. “Enter Sandman” – Metallica
Directed by Wayne Isham, this video is visually stunning, with its mix of live-action and animation. It’s also one of the most iconic videos of the 90’s, cementing Metallica’s status as one of the biggest bands in the world.

9. “Got the Life” – Korn
This video, directed by McG, is another visual masterpiece, with its mixture of live-action and animation. It’s also one of the most controversial videos of the 90’s, due to its graphic depiction of suicide.

8. “Feed My Frankenstein” – Alice Cooper
This video, directed by Bob Dylan (yes, that Bob Dylan), is a bizarre and trippy ride through Alice Cooper’s twisted mind. It’s definitely not for everyone, but it’s one of the most unique metal videos ever made.

7. “Black Hole Sun” – Soundgarden
Directed by Hype Williams, this video is a disturbing look at a world where children are replaced by clones. It’s both creepy and unforgettable, and it perfectly captures the dark atmosphere of Soundgarden’s music.

6. ” Freak on a Leash” – Korn
Another visual masterpiece from director McG, this video is a multi-layered masterpiece that tells multiple stories at once. It’s also one of the most controversial videos of all time, due to its explicit depiction of violence.

Best Editing

The editing in this video is superb, with shots of the band seamlessly intercut with footage of a burning building. The camera work is also excellent, making full use of the band’s pyrotechnics to create an exciting and visually arresting video.

Best Cinematography

#1. Metallica – “One” (1989)
Directed by Bill Pope, this music video features one of the most iconic performances in heavy metal history. The groundbreaking video tells the story of a soldier who is injured in battle and becomes quadriplegic. Despite his injuries, he is still able to play the guitar and performs for the other soldiers in the hospital. The video is shot in black and white and is intercut with footage of Metallica’s live performance. This music video won numerous awards, including a Grammy for Best Rock Video.

#2. Pantera – “ Cowboys from Hell ” (1990)
This music video was directed by Peter Horvath and features footage of Pantera’s live performance intercut with footage of Hell’s Angels motorcycle gang members. The video was banned from MTV due to its violent content. Despite its banned status, the video still received heavy rotation on Headbanger’s Ball and helped propel Pantera to stardom.

#3. Guns N’ Roses – “Don’t Cry” (1991)
This music video was directed by Andy Morahan and features footage of Guns N’ Roses live performance intercut with scenes of lead singer Axl Rose walking through a city at night. The video was nominated for two MTV Video Music Awards and helped cement Guns N’ Roses status as one of the biggest rock bands in the world.

#4. Metallica – “Enter Sandman” (1991)
This music video was directed by Wayne Isham and features footage of Metallica performing live intercut with scenes of a young boy being terrorized by nightmares. The disturbed images in the boy’s dreams are actually clips from classic horror films, such as The Exorcist and A Nightmare on Elm Street . This innovated approach to music videos helped make “Enter Sandman” one of the most iconic videos of the 1990s.

#5. Nirvana – “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (1991)
This now-iconic music video was directed by Samuel Bayer and features footage of Nirvana performing live intercut with shots of rowdy teenagers in a school gymnasium rebelling against their parents and teachers. The song became an anthem for disaffected youth everywhere and helped propel Nirvana to superstardom. Sadly, lead singer Kurt Cobain died just two years after this video was released.

#6

Best Choreography

The 1990s were a magical time for heavy metal music videos. With the advent of MTV and other music video channels, bands had a new outlet to show off their visuals, and they did not disappoint. Many of the clips from this decade are still iconic today.

Here are 10 of the best heavy metal music videos from the 1990s, based on their choreography:

1) Metallica – “Enter Sandman”

2) Pantera – “Cowboys From Hell”

3) Megadeth – “Symphony of Destruction”

4) Slayer – “Seasons in the Abyss”

5) Sepultura – “Roots Bloody Roots”

6) Machine Head – “Davidian”

7) Fear Factory – “Dielectric”

8) Korn – “Freak on a Leash”

9) Deftones – “My Own Summer (Shove It)”

10) Tool – “Sober”

Best Costumes

In the world of heavy metal, the look is just as important as the sound. To help bands stand out from the pack, music videos in the 1990s became increasingly over-the-top, and costumes played a big role in that. Here are ten of the best 90s heavy metal music videos with eye-popping costumes.

1) Pantera – “Walk” (1992)

In Pantera’s video for “Walk,” the band members donned some serious military gear, including gas masks and bulletproof vests. The video was inspired by the Gulf War, which was raging at the time.

2) Metallica – “Enter Sandman” (1991)

For their iconic video for “Enter Sandman,” Metallica donned a mix of military and punk-inspired clothing. Drummer Lars Ulrich even had his Mohawk dyed green for the shoot.

3) Anthrax – “I Am The Law” (1987)

Anthrax took their love of comic books to the next level with their video for “I Am The Law.” The band members clad themselves in costumes inspired by Judge Dredd, while the sets and overall look of the video borrowed heavily from Mad Max.

4) Slayer – “Expendable Youth” (1990)
Slayer channeled their inner serial killer in the video for “Expendable Youth.” Wearing macabre masks and covered in blood, the band members looked truly terrifying.

5) Megadeth – “Symphony Of Destruction” (1992)
For their video for “Symphony of Destruction,” Megadeth dressed up as a classic rock band from an alternate reality where they were huge superstars. Think Kiss meets Spinal Tap.

6) Sepultura – “Refuse/Resist” (1993)
In Sepultura’s video for “Refuse/Resist,” the Brazilian metal legends donned police uniforms and went on a rampage through Rio de Janeiro. The footage was intercut with news footage of real-life violence and political unrest in Brazil at the time.

7) Ozzy Osbourne – “I Don’t Want To Change The World” (1991) In Ozzy Osbourne’s surreal video for “I Don’t Want to Change the World,” the Prince of Darkness plays a clown who is trying to spread joy to a group of grumpy children. But when his act doesn’t go over well, all hell breaks loose. Ozzy dons a variety of colorful clown outfits throughout the clip.

8) Alice In Chains – “Would?” (1992) For Alice in Chains’ somber video for “Would?,” Jerry Cantrell and Layne Staley donned dark clothing and wouldn’t give viewers much more than a glimpse of their faces throughout most of the clip. The minimalistic approach helped convey the song’s melancholy mood perfectly.

9) Pantera – “Mouth For War” (1992) Pantera went all-out with their patriotic themed video for “Mouth For War.” Complete with an American flag background and plenty of pyro effects, this clip is pure ’90s metal greatness.

10) Korn – “Freak On A Leash” (1998) Korn raised eyebrows with their animated video for “Freak On A Leash.” The nimble animation brought Jonathan Davis’ frightening lyrics to life perfectly and helped make this one of Korn’s most memorable clips ever.

Best Makeup

There were some truly groundbreaking and memorable heavy metal music videos released in the 1990s. Here are 10 of the best, in no particular order.

1. Metallica – “One” (1989)
2. Pantera – “Walk” (1992)
3. Sepultura – “Refuse/Resist” (1993)
4. Korn – “Freak on a Leash” (1998)
5. Slipknot – “Wait and Bleed” (1999)
6. Alice in Chains – “Would?” (1992)
7. Soundgarden – “Black Hole Sun” (1994)
8. Stone Temple Pilots – “Interstate Love Song” (1994)
9. Deftones – “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)” (1997)
10. Bush – “Glycerine” (1996)

Best Hair

First things first, you need some serious hair to pull off a good metal video. The 90s were a decade of big hair, and metal bands took it to the next level. From long flowing locks to short and spikes, these are the best hairstyles in metal videos from the 90s.

Judas Priest – “Painkiller”
The godfathers of metal Judas Priest released one of their best albums in 1990 with Painkiller. The title track was also one of their best music videos, featuring the band in a post-apocalyptic world fighting zombies. But the real stars of the show are the band’s hair, which is big and flows perfectly in slow motion as they ride their motorcycles through the desert.

Metallica – “Enter Sandman”
One of the biggest songs of Metallica’s career is also one of their best music videos. “Enter Sandman” features the band as murderous clowns that terrorize a young boy’s dreams. While all four members look great with their clown makeup, it’s really James Hetfield’s hair that steals the show. His long flowing locks look perfect as he rocks out on stage and gives chase to the poor kid in his nightmares.

Guns N’ Roses – “November Rain”
Guns N’ Roses had a lot of great songs and videos in the 90s, but “November Rain” might be their best work. The nine-minute epic features Axl Rose at his most over-the-top, wearing a wedding dress and getting married in front of a burning church. But it’s his flowing locks that make this video so iconic, it looks like he hasn’t cut his hair in years and it looks perfect.

Megadeth – “Symphony Of Destruction”
Megadeth was one of the most popular metal bands in the 90s thanks to their politically charged lyrics and catchy riffs. Their 1992 album Countdown To Extinction featured the song “Symphony Of Destruction,” which also had an excellent music video. The video features footage from anti-war protests mixed with footage of the band performing, and Dave Mustaine looks great with his long curly hair bouncing around as he plays guitar.

Sepultura – “Roots Bloody Roots”
Brazilian metal band Sepultura released one of their best albums in 1996 with Roots. The album featured the song “Roots Bloody Roots,” which also had an excellent music video that showcased the band performing in front of a huge crowd. But it was lead singer Max Cavalera’s hair that really caught attention, his dreadlocks were flowing all over the place as he headbanged along to the heavy riffs.