Andy Mihov directs a rousing promo for rock band Diamond Black, which sees the group perform in an intimate music room, as several patrons hang out and watch the show. Filmed at The Lexington in Islington, the video has a thought-provoking, almost wistful energy, which is visualised in an abstract, enigmatic way. This feeling is channeled in the cinematography and overall aesthetic of the video."We shot the video to kick off the band’s UK tour with Esprit D’Air, another band that I have collaborated with," Mihov mentions. "It was an intimate but special shoot because Diamond Black has undergone a big transformation, and this was the first video we had done together in a few years."The song is all about the melancholy, the pressure and the anxiety people experience in their ordinary day-to-day lives. It doesn’t have to be about anything massive, it can just be as simple as the angst some of us feel when we’re on social media, or that sense of self-loathing that comes from not believing you’re good enough."We wanted to focus on the band’s energetic and emotionally charged performance and we opted for a style of camerawork that fits the genre without falling into any cliches. We still wanted the viewer to feel the control in our movements and our framing. I think this approach helps the video feel like it brings the message of the song to life in every aspect of its DNA."

Following his directing debut with (pls) set me on fire, Enter Shikari frontman Rou Reynolds directs aits sequel - another strongly conceptual performance video - for It Hurts.From the claustrophobic locked-off shot in his previous outing, Reynolds employs another largely one-take approach, but allows the camera to roam across a large space in which a number of random dramatic vignettes are playing out - all of which have big consequences for the participants.“In typical Shikari fashion, I threw myself in at the deep end with directing, and decided to shoot two videos in one day," explains Reynolds of the making of this and the previous video. “It was an incredibly intense experience, but we had a super-talented, passionate, focused team, and were able to get a great result.“Personally, I found it rewarding to see my ideas brought to life and create a narrative connecting the two videos. I love the attention to detail that directing allowed, and the ability to bring some of the song’s themes to life in more depth.”

And then there were two. Depeche Mode's return following the death of bandmember Andrew Fletcher last year is particularly emotional for their famously devoted fans. For such an important moment Anton Corbijn's video for Ghosts Again could not be more appropriate.For a song at the poppier end of the band's range - like their early stuff - Corbijn references his own classic work with the band, that mix of symbolism and iconography to bring another element to that unmistakeable photographic look. At the same time, Corbijn does not shy away from the fact that the remaining bandmembers, Dave Gahan and Martin Gore, are now older men. Just as the song reflects on mortality, their faces now display their age, all the years of experience emphasised - again echoing Corbijn's greatest photographs of music icons like Miles Davis and Johnny Cash. Beyond the simple, symbolic and very cinematic device of the chess match that nods to The Seventh Seal, this is really all about those faces. It pays homage to the band and to emotion felt by their fans. A great addition to one of the great collaborations between artist and director in music videos.

Speed-rap meets metal with attitude and an apocalyptic video for Falling In Reverse - the latest in a series of jawdropping videos for the band by Ukranian-born director Jensen Noen.From the start as frontman Ronnie Radke's plane explodes and he plummets to earth, this sets out on a full-throttle, journey of destruction with Radke as the superpowered, half-demented Destroyer of Worlds - enabled by next level VFX and an unrestrained storyline. In this dark blockbuster the world really does burn...

Directing duo TEARJERKER direct a touching exploration of love and relationships, in their seventh promo for The Academic. The loved-up video for My Very Best is the third in a trilogy for the group's latest album, and is set against the backdrop of the annual Matchmaking Festival in Lisdoonvarna, Ireland.Anchored by farmer Willie Daly - the third in a line of traditional matchmakers - the video is a hopeful, heartwarming tale which documents the hope and bravery of people attending in anticipation of making a match. Evoking a sense of timeless love, the duo blended a modern and vintage aesthetic, using an old Sony DV camera and Arri Alexa Mini. The Academic themselves appear in a performance shot in a community hall, tying the whole thing together in their own energetic way.Hope and Ronan of TEARJERKER had come across a sign for Europe's Largest Singles Festival while taking a road trip along the Wild Atlantic Way on the West Coast of Ireland a couple of years ago with a bunch of friends. They had stopped to take a photo next to the sign."Sadly it was cancelled that year, but we knew we'd be back to capture it one day," explains Hope. "There is something so brave and hopeful about the people going there with the anticipation and nervousness of finding a match, we wanted to document that feeling."We took a tiny film crew there and we've truly never seen anything like it. It's an Irish match-making festival so there was a lot of boozing and the endorphins were high. We witnessed some pretty X-rated moments that didn't quite make it into the final cut."All the friends from the photo with the sign are all in relationships now, so maybe there really is something in the air in Lisdoonvarna."The directors add that their long working relationship with The Academic has changed the way they make music videos. "There's such trust and respect between everyone working on the projects. The themes are often the same — youth, heartbreak, hope, big dreams in a small town — but we’ve tried to mix genres and form. We want each one to feel different.”

Timothy Saccenti directs a super-intense performance promo for Metallica. Following the hypnotic promo for Lux Æterna - also directed by Saccenti - that was released at the end of 2022, the video for Screaming Suicide is more of an intimate portrait of the band, focusing on their performance in a simple yet striking way. The energy is electric, as to be expected, and the gritty black and white aesthetic gives the whole thing a grungy, minacious feel.

Lewis Cater directs a minacious promo for Shinedown, where under the ominous surveillance of an unspecified evil, the US rock band look fear straight in the eye. The video for Dead Don't Die jumps between a rowdy performance section in an ornate structure, and enigmatic vignettes with frontman Brett, where various weapons and objects hang mid-air, threatening to break through and injure him - but unable to do so.It's a thrilling addition to both the band and Cater's videography, and packed full of filmic moments and great performances. "We shot the video for Dead Don’t Die straight after the band’s Wembley headline show last month," Cater says. "It was a special shoot as it was the first time that the band had shot a video outside of United States."It’s a video about resilience, the strong-willed, the bend but never break human spirit. The power of the mind is extraordinary. The band use their strength within to control the darkness and retreat to a more positive space."We follow Brent (Shinedown's frontman) as he is pursued by an unspecified evil. He passes by each band member as they use their energy to control a moment of wickedness. Brent is then confronted. Using MoCo, we had bullets build up around Brent. The power of his mind pushes to the forefront as the bullets are suspended. After overcoming each of their obstacles, the band are united for one final test."

In one of the most enthralling examples of AI-fired creativity to be seen in music videos towards the end of last year, Tristan Holmes animated more than 10,000 frames generated on AI program Midjourney to create a stunning visceral experience for the Chicago-based heavy metal band Disturbed.Crucially, Holmes successfully manages to harness the possibilities of the technology to work with his own purpose and vision for the epic track Bad Man - the band's protest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The video is an assault on the senses, but the director's own painterly visual aesthetic shines through. The process took Holmes over a month of intense work, but the results are stupendous. “This video has been a labor of love and I am super proud to share it," Holmes has said."Inspired by the plight of the Ukrainian people it is a poignant and powerful comment on the world today and the rise of autocracy not only in Eastern Europe but in other parts of the world."