In the days before music channels dedicated to rock (such as Kerrang TV), American metal label Roadrunner's annual series of videos featuring their artists were both a treat for the fans and a good source of exposure for the bands. These days, they're a bit less special but - while switching to DVD in 2003 - they still release such a compilation each year to help showcase their artists.

While you can't expect to like everything on such a wide-ranging compilation, thankfully for the serious metal fan there are more hits than misses. Other than the videos billed as live, only a few are guilty of over-reliance on concert footage (DevilDriver, Wednesday 13), or simply the band playing the song on a studio stage (Ill Nino). Most bands have realised it only takes a small amount of imagination to alternate these shots with a few more developing some story or theme to produce a much more interesting video without the need for Hollywood-style effect budgets. While for most it really is that minimal, it's an improvement on many similar bands' videos.

1. Slipknot - The Nameless (live) (6/10)
A live video that looks much like Slipknot's other concert footage, though there are plenty of changes of camera angle and flashing lights so not recommended for epileptics.

3. Trivium - Dying In Your Arms (7/10)
This is just a live video really, though it has a few other shots mixed in that seem to involve some girl, presumably re-enacting a story related to the song. Not the best video, but a good song.

5. 36 Crazyfists - I'll Go Until My Heart Stops (8/10)
There seems to be some sort of story involving a girl being kidnapped in this one. It makes a change from just seeing the band, but ironically the shots of the band are my favourite parts - they have some nice flame effects (matching the band's latest album cover).

10. Hatebreed - To The Threshold (6/10)
Again, not my favourite band, but the video's better. It features a young boy watching a video of the band, while his father beats his mother - then it ends with the father forcing his way into a room to find the band standing protectively over the boy and mother.

18. Satyricon - K.I.N.G (7/10)
A pretty difficult one to describe. It's amazing how odd it seems, bearing in mind it won't sound so when I say it's mainly frontman Satyr sat singing to the camera, albeit with weird stuff happening around/behind him.

26. Nickelback - Photograph (5/10)
27. Nickelback - Far Away (6/10)
Amongst the largely metal/hardcore bands included here, Nickelback stick out like sore thumbs - I doubt anyone who likes the rest of the bands cares much for Nickelback and vice versa. I suppose this explains why surely one of the biggest selling bands are so far down the tracklisting. Usually, however, Nickelback's videos are somewhat justified by their larger budget. Here, I'd have to say neither were particularly interesting. (The latter I suppose is an ok video, featuring fire-fighters and helicopters, but let down by a soppy ballad of a song).

29. Sevendust - Ugly (6/10)
I think Sevendust lost their way somewhere after their first two albums; but this video showing Lajon walking dark city streets alone isn't so bad.

The DVD is exempt from classification but - while some of it does appear censored - I wouldn't recommend either the videos or music for young children. My copy doesn't seem to have any region identification - I think it's region free, and certainly the inlay gives website and ringtone information covering most of Europe.