The 25 best hard rock/metal music videos of all time

We start off with one of the harder, more intense songs on this list. Then again, the band is one of the more genuine power rock acts around. And, the music video is quite unique and innovative, showing members of the band (at the time), offering a look into their alter egos, perhaps, beyond the public image and in-your-face stage presence of being hardcore rock stars. Five Finger Death Punch has never been too predictable, and this is another example. 

There are actually two videos for the first single released from 1980's Back in Black, which is still one of the great lustfully, trashy rock songs of all time. The original is a straight-up performance video on a soundstage. The second, released six years later (for the song's inclusion on the Who Made Who soundtrack) is much different — and far more entertaining. Brothers Angus and Malcolm Young comically follow new lead singer Brian Johnson through the streets of Huddersfield in England as he prepares for an intimate evening with a female companion. Regardless of preference, it's still one exceptional rock song.

Skid Row broke through with its self-titled 1989 debut that made them MTV staples, notably because of Sebastian Bach's piercing voice and gritty, hard-charging rock tracks. "18 and Life" tells the tale of Ricky, who battled the bottle and did in his friend along the way. Mainstream 1980s hard rock acts weren't entirely known for their conceptual music videos, but this one certainly stands out.

Trash metal kings Slayer were never known for its music videos, but when going down that road, the title cut from the stellar Seasons in the Abyss 1990 studio album is the best of the lot. It gives thrash fans a chance to see these headbangers up close, albeit in some sort of Egyptian desert setting, complete with the Sphinx. Meanwhile, the band is sailing along on some type of peasant boat. Music videos usually don't make sense, like this one, but it's still pretty cool.

Anthrax's unique blend of thrash metal and rap was refreshingly popular during the late 1980s, and especially into the 1990s, when it delivered a harder, faster, louder version of this 1988 Public Enemy classic. Not only was the collaboration a success (with each band featuring this version on their respective albums), the fast-paced, NYC-set video only added to this fun collab. Some critics credit this project as an inspiration for the rap-metal/nu-metal genres.

What's perhaps best known about this 1980s hair-metal staple was the appearance of legendary funnyman Milton Berle, whose nephew served as one of Ratt's managers. He starred as a dinner guest — and played a dual role as his wife — not too happy with the racket going upstairs in the attic. Released in 1984, "Round and Round" was one of MTV's most popular music videos of the time, and remains the band's most notable hit. 

Alternative rock/funk/metal outfit Faith No More was spawned from the band Sharp Young Men in the late 1970s in San Francisco. From there, the band's unique sound captivated the Bay Area and beyond. The antics and stage presence of frontman Mike Patton made Faith No More a popular live act, and in 1989 it enjoyed more significant mainstream success with The Real Thing and hit single "Epic," whose video featured Patton's manic presence, Roddy Bottom's exploding piano, and the controversial flopping fish out of water. 

A creative twist on the obligatory "road" song. "Wanted Dead or Alive" has an outlaw vibe and might be the one Bon Jovi tune that showcased Richie Sambora's musical talent within the confines of the group. It reached No. 7 on Billboard's Hot 100, and the popular music video proved to be one of the more quintessential depictions of life on the road for a superstar rock act. Fans truly got to see what artists — particularly Jon Bon Jovi himself — went through during the band's heyday. 

Among the most conceptual bands within the nu metal/alternative/rap rock era of the early 2000s, Linkin Park spent a good deal of time on its video presence. Notably, DJ Joe Hahn directed several of the band's videos, including this hit from 2000's Hybrid Theory, which featured a futuristic vibe complete with plenty of CGI work. Of course, fans of "In the End" likely most remember the rain that drenched the band during their performance scenes within the video. 

Run-DMC can thank producer Rick Rubin for introducing the rap legends to Aerosmith — and, specifically "Walk This Way," from the rockers' classic 1975 gem Toys in the Attic. Although Run-DMC didn't want to record a rap version of the tune for 1986's Raising Hell record, which featured Aerosmith's "Toxic Twins" of Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, with the comical music videos showing both camps converging, it proved to be a massive crossover hit for the rappers. This version reached No. 4 on the Hot 100, outperforming the original recording, and enjoying plenty of MTV airtime.

Back in the days when not everybody could afford cable television, Friday Night Videos on NBC was all the rage. Among the all-time favorites from that show was this top-20 Billboard Hot 100 hit from 1983's Pyromania. Said video featured an almost medieval feel, complete with hooded figures, a Goddess-type presence, lead singer Joe Elliott wielding an oversized sword, and an ever-present owl. Strange? Maybe. But it was the '80s, and mainstream rock fans ate it up. 

In the mid-to-late 1980s, hard rock and "heavy metal" on MTV were all about big hair, spandex and guys who looked like girls. Then G N' R came around. Yes, Axl Rose's hair was a little high in the band's debut video, but the stripped-down approach and tale about the sleazy side of L.A. and Hollywood let the hair drop down and makeup come off. Some believe this video was the first nail in glam metal's coffin

The video for this 1980 Judas Priest classic is so campy that it's also quite excellent. The band, led by iconic frontman Rob Halford commit a robbery, using their instruments for weapons. How ridiculously entertaining is that? From a musical standpoint, "Breaking the Law" is among the best songs from the British Wave of Heavy Metal era, and the video certainly only adds to the legendary status of the song — cheesy or not.

Consider the popular "Right Now" video to be a current events lesson or moral thinking moment from 1992. Words like "Right now, someone is working too hard for minimum wage" or "Right now, guilt is turning someone inside out." Or our favorite, "I WILL WRESTLE YOU FOR FOOD." It was another hit video for the band, and perhaps the best, most memorable from the Van Hagar era. It's a simple approach that delivered some powerful and lasting images and messages. 

According to Rolling Stone, Cornell wrote Soundgarden's most recognizable song and commercial smash in just 15 minutes, an example of the special talent Cornell held as a lyricist. The third single off the band's breakthrough 1994 album Superunknown hit No. 1 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart and also won the Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance. Going a step further, the artsy, trippy, almost apocalyptic short won Best Metal/Hard Rock Video at the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards. A more visually enhanced version of the video was released, as well.

Who can forget the image of model/actress/siren Tawny Kitaen dancing around and doing cartwheels on two Jaguar XJs during the reworked 1987 version of Whitesnake's biggest hit? Kitaen, who was dating, and eventually married, Whitesnake leader and frontman David Coverdale at the time, was the star of a video that essentially defined the 1980s' mainstream rock/hair metal scene. Thanks to MTV, the success of "Here I Go Again" helped get Coverdale out of debt. 

Megadeth founder and leader Dave Mustaine has always been his own worst enemy, and pretty much scares himself with his self-sabotaging antics and substance abuse. Perhaps all that is rolled into one with this classic video for the third single off Megadeth's hugely successful Countdown to Extinction, from 1992. The multiple Mustaines appear in the video, somewhat toying with the actual real Mustaine, who is trying to handle the tense situation. All this makes for one of the most innovative metal videos of all time.

While the promotional clip was already a thing, the practice was not consistently used by bands and artists. That appeared to change when the four-headed monster known as Queen released a clip for its legendary opus, "Bohemian Rhapsody." The images of the band members' heads on a black background are almost as eerie and powerful as the song itself. The included performance footage added to the whole package.

Thanks to MTV, the signature track off the ... And Justice for All album remains one of the most popular in the band's history. This anti-war anthem became an MTV staple, courtesy of the video featuring scenes from the forgotten 1971 war drama Johnny Got His Gun and more exemplary work from both lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and Lars Ulrich on drums. When played live, the pyrotechnics are aplenty, often closing out the initial set before the encores, while showing scenes from the movie.

If hair metal hadn't died yet, it was officially laid to rest when the music world got a look at the video that basically ushered in the grunge movement to the masses. It was a total contrast to the "hard rock" videos MTV was playing, and being invited to the most apathetic-turned-dysfunctional pep rally ever (complete with cheerleaders dressed in black and sporting anarchy symbols and tattoos) was quite the dark but refreshing change of pace.

One of the more unique videos on the list. Directed by Todd McFarlane, the "Freak on a Leash" video features a mixture of animation, regular day-in-the-life scenes with a bullet and performance footage, all blending in with the frenetic base of this popular nu metal track. "Freak on a Leash" won Best Rock Video at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards and the Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video in 2000. 

Twisted Sister was established before the glam/hair metal scene of the 1980s took off, but it certainly looked the part and used MTV to score its only commercially successful album with Stay Hungry (1984). Not to mention, the band never took itself seriously and had a good time with the music and videos, as evident by the smash "We're Not Gonna Take It," which featured veteran actor Mark Metcalf, playing off his famed role as the despised Douglas C. Neidermeyer from Animal House, as the annoyed father of a rock-loving son.

"Learn to Fly" is the first Foo Fighters song to make it into Billboard's Hot 100, peaking at No. 19. And, most notably for this list, its music video won the Grammy Award for Best Short Form Video in 2001. The band has been known for its quirky and creative music videos. In the case of "Learn to Fly," it's all about fun, with band members Dave Grohl, Nate Mendel and the late Taylor Hawkins playing various roles — men, women and even a baby — while on an airplane. Jack Black and former Tenacious D bandmate Kyle Gass (if they're still together) also make apperances.

Part of the so-called song trilogy with the predecessor "Don't Cry" and followed by "Estranged," "November Rain" is an example of how the band — specifically Axl Rose — was becoming more grandiose than desired. Hard rock ballads don't get more over-the-top than this nearly nine-minute piece that reached No. 3 on the Hot 100. The popular music video was even more dramatic (remember the guy diving into the wedding cake?), featuring Rose's girlfriend at the time, model Stephanie Seymour, in one of the strangest funeral scenes of all time.

There was certainly a somewhat consistent element of humor to Van Halen and its music during the David Lee Roth era. In fact, Roth co-directed what should be considered the band's most entertaining video. Roth and Co. took the age-old tradition of a student crushing on his teacher to new heights, complete with scantily-clad female dancer and Van Halen members hilariously showing off their own moves. From the 1984 album, "Hot for Teacher" also features the four band members in grade-school form and later what became of them as adults. Conceptually, it's simply fantastic.