How to Watch/Stream Nik’s 2025 Nocturnal Awards Tonight

Metal streaming sensation Nik Nocturnal is back with the 2025 edition of his annual awards show, celebrating the best in metal music.

How to Watch the 2025 Nocturnal Awards

The 2025 Nocturnal Awards will be broadcast live from Sweetwater HQ today, December 12, at 5 PM ET on Nik Nocturnal’s Twitch channel (twitch.tv/niknocturnal). The event will feature 20 fan-voted categories highlighting modern metal and heavy music.

Besides the awards, the show will include over $15,000 in gear giveaways, live band performances, world premiere music and trailer reveals, special guest appearances, and a live audience. Tune in at 5 PM ET to watch the festivities unfold.

Nominees for the 2025 Nocturnal Awards

Fan voting has concluded, and many musicians, songs, and metal sites are in the running for awards. The categories cover a range of achievements, from instrumentalists to songs, videos, albums, and more. Below are some of the nominees:

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