It’s that time of year again as one of metal’s most popular streamers Nik Nocturnal dishes out his best of 2025 with his very own awards show.
So how can you check out the 2025 Nocturnal Awards? And who actually got nominated? We’ve got you covered.
Where Can I See the 2025 Nocturnal Awards?
Nik Nocturnal will host the 2025 Nocturnal Awards live at 5PM ET today (Dec. 12) through his Twitch channel (twitch.tv/niknocturnal).
The show will come at you live form Sweetwater HQ as Nik dishes out winners in 20 categories celebrating modern metal and heavy music.
The winners are all fan-voted as the nominees were announced last month and voting continued through Dec. 5.
In addition to a whole lot of awards being handed out, the show will also include over $15,000 in gear giveaways, a full live band performance, some world premiere music and trailer reveals, a number of special guest appearances and there will be a live in-person audience on hand to cheer on and salute the winners. So be sure to tune in to twitch.tv/niknocturnal at 5PM ET to catch the 2025 Nocturnal Awards.
Who Got Nominated for the 2025 Nocturnal Awards?
As we stated, fan voting has now concluded. But some of the musicians, music and metal sites listed below will be taking home some trophies during the broadcast.
READ MORE: Nik Nocturnal Returns 6 Months After Saying Goodbye in New Video
There are 20 categories in total, celebrating everything from individual instrumentalists to songs, videos and albums as well as some of the streamers, labels and metal sites that have kept you in the know and entertained throughout 2025. And even the best animal noise of the year!
Check out the Nocturnal Awards 2025 nominees below and get ready for fun metal things!
Guitarist of the Year
Calle Thomer (Vildhjarta)
Scott Carstairs (Fallujah)
Greg Burgess (Allegaeon)
Adam Dutkiewicz (Killswitch Engage)
Chris Wiseman (Shadow of Intent / Currents)
Stephen Carpenter (Deftones)
Leo Watremez (Mirar)
Mike Stringer (Spiritbox)
Matt Heafy (Trivium)
Diamond Rowe (Tetrarch)
Robb Flynn (Machine Head)
Konan Hall (Malevolence)
Brody Uttley (Rivers of Nihil)
Dave Davidson (Revocation)
John Petrucci (Dream Theater)
Drummer of the Year
Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater)
Leo Mcclain (Psycho-Frame)
Craig Reynolds (Stray From the Path)
Aaron Gillespie (Underoath)
Joe Pelletier (Peelingflesh)
Ali Richardson (Bleed From Within / Sylosis)
Blake Richardson (Between the Buried and Me)
Daniel Tracy – (Deafheaven)
Frank Zummo (Electric Callboy / Sum 41)
Bryce Butler (Shadow of Intent)
Vocalist of the Year
Phil Bozeman (Whitechapel)
Sam Carter (Architects)
Will Ramos (Lorna Shore)
Ryan Vail (Larcenia Roe / Synestia)
Courtney Laplante (Spiritbox)
Emma Boster (Dying Wish)
Eric Vanlerberghe (I Prevail)
Yasmin Belkhodja (Face Yourself)
Tatiana Shmayluk (Jinjer)
Chino Moreno (Deftones)
Florent Salfati (Landmvrks)
Marc Zelli (Paleface Swiss)
Rory Rodriguez (Dayseeker)
Amy Lee (Evanescence)
Daniel Winter-bates (Bury Tomorrow)
Damonteal Harris (Peelingflesh)
Bassist of the Year
David John Levy (Unprocessed)
Adam Biggs (Rivers of Nihil)
Ryan O’Leary (Fit for a King)
Eugene Abdukhanov (Jinjer)
Steve Di Giorgio (Testament)
Ryan Martinie (Mudvayne)
Dan Briggs (Between the Buried and Me)
Oli Pinard (Cryptopsy)
Jacob Umansky
Jared Warth (Blessthefall)
Masked Musician of the Year
Vessel (Sleep Token)
Ii (Sleep Token)
Iii (Sleep Token)
Iv (Sleep Token)
President (President)
Alpha (Gaerea)
Zachary Ezrin (Imperial Triumphant)
Papa v Perpetua (Ghost)
Cenobia (Cenobia)
Blothar The Berserker (Gwar)
Collab Song of the Year
Peelingflesh x Svdden Death x Nimda x Yvm3 – “Midnight”
Poppy x Amy Lee x Courtney Laplante – “End Of You”
Babymetal x Slaughter To Prevail – “Song 3”
Falling in Reverse x Hardy – “All My Women”
Unprocessed x Fever 333 – “Heads in the Clouds”
Paleface Swiss x Stick To Your Guns – “Instrument Of War”
Synestia x Blake Mullens – “The Mourning Star”
Fit For A King x Chris Motionless – “Witness The End”
Invent Animate x Silent Planet – “Return To One”
Architects x House of Protection – “Braindead”
Angriest Song of the Year
Psycho-frame – “No Revives”
I Prevail – “Violent Nature”
To the Grave – “Sawed Off”
Stray From The Path – “Fuck Them All To Hell”
Despised Icon – “Over My Dead Body”
Speed – “Peace”
Guilt Trip – “Burn”
Pintglass – “Stella Fc”
Bodysnatcher – “Blade Between The Teeth”
Spite – “New World Killer”
Best Callout of the Year
Dying Wish – “I Don’t Belong Anywhere” (3:34)
A Day To Remember – “Bad Blood” (2:10)
Ten56. – “I Know Where You Sleep” (0:31)
The Acacia Strain – “A Call Beyond” (1:41)
Kublai Khan Tx – “The Mountain of Corsicana” (3:07)
Pintglass – “Pintglass By Pintglass Off The Album Pintglass” (1:58)
Knosis – “Shinmon” (2:38)
Darko Us – “Mallet Pulse” (2:31)
Kanine – “808” (2:46)
Abbie Falls – “Victim” (1:45)
Feels Are Reals
Bad Omens – “Specter”
The Devil Wears Prada – “For You”
Dayseeker – “Pale Moonlight”
President – “Destroy Me”
The Plot in You – “Silence”
Paleface Swiss – “River Of Sorrows”
Ten56. – “Io”
Stick To Your Guns – “Keep Planting Flowers”
Ov Sulfur – “Wither”
Landmvrks – “Blood Red”
Best Metal Content
Heavy Metal Philosophy
66samus
Rob Scallon
Garza Podcast
Brutality Podcast
Opal in Sky
Jaydadrums
Dean Lamb
Josh Rezz
Rock Feed
Best Metal News Source
Loudwire
Metal Injection
Jesea Lee
Rock Sound
Metalsucks
Louder Sound
Rock Feed
State of the Scene
R/metalcore & r/deathcore
Theprp
Breakdown of the Year
Psycho-frame – “No Revives” (3:05)
Imminence – “Death Shall Have No Dominion” (4:10)
Ten56. – “Earwig” (1:45)
Whitechapel – “Hymns In Dissonance” (4:17)
Spiritbox – “No Loss, No Love” (1:44)
Parkway Drive – “Sacred” (2:32)
Lorna Shore – “Prison of Flesh” (6:14)
Slaughter to Prevail – “Banditos” (4:02)
Fit for an Autopsy – “It Comes For You” (3:13)
Netherwalker – “Battle of Tredem” (3:04)
Vana – “Pray” (2:40)
Despised Icon – “Over My Dead Body” (2:20)
Orthodox – “Sacred Place” (2:10)
Signs of the Swarm – “Hellmustfearme” (2:50)
Crown Magnetar – “Decapitation Ritual” (2:04)
Animal Noise of the Year
Netherwalker – “Battle of Tredem” (3:07)
Deviloof – “因習(Inshu)” (3:31)
Larcenia Roe – “Lip Split” (2:22)
Signs of the Swarm – “Hellmustfearme” (1:41)
Sinizter x Peeling Flesh – “Post Mortem Anomalies” (2:10)
To the Grave – “Dna” (2:49)
Synestia – “Dies Irae” (4:09)
Without a Face – “Rat Poison” (1:20)
Gutrectomy – “Shard Throat” (1:26)
Party Cannon – “Thirst Trap” (0:56)
Music Video of the Year
Architects – “Blackhole”
Orbit Culture – “Hydra”
Imminence – “God Fearing Man”
Ice Nine Kills – “The Laugh Track”
Electric Callboy – “Elevator Operator”
Dayseeker – “Pale Moonlight”
Pintglass – “Stella Fc”
The Callous Daoboys – “Two-Headed Trout / The Demon of Unreality Limping Like A Dog”
Igorrr – “Daemoni”
I Promised The World – “Bliss In 7 Languages”
Breakthrough Band of the Year
Downswing
Psycho-frame
Larcenia Roe
Netherwalker
Orthodox
Synestia
Deadlands
Vianova
Face Yourself
Not Enough Space
Label of the Year
Spinefarm Records
Rise Records
Sharptone Records
Arising Empire Records
Nuclear Blast Records
Solid State Records
Unique Leader Records
Metal Blade Records
Century Media Records
Napalm Records
Sumerian Records
Roadrunner Records
Fearless Records
Radio Song of the Year
President – “In The Name of the Father”
Bad Omens – “Dying To Love”
Papa Roach – “Even If It Kills Me”
Linkin Park – “Up From The Bottom”
Sleep Token – “Caramel”
Sleep Theory – “Static”
From Ashes To New – “New Disease”
Dayseeker – “Pale Moonlight”
Magnolia Park – “Shallow”
Bilmuri – “More Than Hate”
Song of the Year
Rivers of Nihil – “House of Light”
Jinjer – “Green Serpent”
Parkway Drive – “Sacred”
Imminence – “God Fearing Man”
Electric Callboy – “Tanzneid”
Lamb of God – “Parasocial Christ”
Moodring – “Half-Life”
Gaerea – “Hellbound”
Loathe – “Gifted Every Strength”
Thornhill – “Silver Swarm”
Disembodied Tyrant – “8.6 Blackout”
Deafheaven – “Heathen”
Malevolence – “If It’s All The Same To You”
I Promised The World – “Bliss In 7 Languages”
Lorna Shore – “Prison of Flesh”
Currents – “It Only Gets Darker”
Erra – “Gore Of Being”
Trivium – “Struck Dead”
Orbit Culture – “The Tales Of War”
Whitechapel – “Hymns In Dissonance”
EP of the Year
Darko Us – Dethmask 3
Crown Magnetar – Punishment
Invent Animate / Silent Planet – Bloom In Heaven
House of Protection – Outrun You All
To the Grave – Still
Synestia – Premonitions
Trivium – Struck Dead
Kingdom of Giants – Burning Chrome
Face Yourself – Fury
Currents – All That Follows
Heavensgate – A Heart Is A Heavy Burden
Album of the Year
Mirar – Ascension
Architects – The Sky, The Earth & All Between
Spiritbox – Tsunami Sea
Whitechapel – Hymns In Dissonance
A Day To Remember – Big Ole Album Vol. 1
Babymetal – Metal Forth
Lorna Shore – I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me
Landmvrks – The Darkest Place I’ve Ever Been
Sleep Token – Even In Arcadia
Deftones – private music
Rivers of Nihil – Rivers of Nihil
Fit for a King – Lonely God
Shadow of Intent – Imperium Delirium
Orbit Culture – Death Above Life
Psycho-frame – Salvation Laughs In The Face of a Grieving Mother
Unprocessed – Angel
Greyhaven – Keep It Quiet
Bury Tomorrow – Will You Haunt Me, With That Same Patience
Dying Wish – Flesh Stays Together
We Came As Romans – All Is Beautiful… Because We’re Doomed
I Prevail – Violent Nature
The Acacia Strain – You Are Safe From God Here
Blessthefall – Gallows
Peelingflesh – Pf Radio 2
Signs of the Swarm – To Rid Myself of Truth
Tallah – Primevil: Obsession//Detachment
Stray From The Path – Clockworked
Despised Icon – Shadow Work
Between The Buried And Me – The Blue Nowhere
Killswitch Engage – This Consequence
Dream Theater – Parasomnia
Paleface Swiss – Cursed
Spite – New World Killer
Deafheaven – Lonely People With Power
Netherwalker – Odyssey of Respair
Boltcutter – Still Broke
Thornhill – Bodies
Dayseeker – Creature In The Black Night
Downswing – And Everything Was Dark
Vildhjarta – Där skogen sjunger under evighetens granar
Of Mice & Men – Another Miracle
Allegaeon – The Ossuary Lens
Malevolence – Where Only The Truth Is Spoken
Testament – Para Bellum
Jinjer – Duel
Bleed From Within – Zenith
Igorrr – Amen
The Callous Daoboys – I Don’t Want to See You In Heaven
Vianova – Hit It!
Orthodox – A Door Left Open
Cryptopsy – An Insatiable Violence
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Gallery Credit: Loudwire Staff
