It's time to vote for the Best Bassist of the Year in the 6th Annual Loudwire Music Awards! For some reason, the bassists never seem to get the love they so rightfully deserve and it's time to give them their due credit here. The bass is such a pivotal role in a band, whether it's backing up the rest of the group with some low end depth, reining in different rhythmic influences to bring out the nuances in the music or anchoring the music entirely.

First in the nominees is Anthrax's Frank Bello, who has once again proven himself to be among the elite on For All Kings. David Ellefson, another thrash vet, dished out another world-class performance on Megadeth's vaunted Dystopia, providing rumbling heft when needed and rhythmic fluidity at other times. Distancing from thrash, there's punk icon Fat Mike, who has been the creative linchpin in NOFX for over 30 years, their latest achievement being First Ditch Effort.

Korn's newest, The Serenity of Suffering, saw a return to the crushing classic sound of their first handful of albums with Fieldy bringing in an assortment of styles as always. Of course, Red Hot Chili Peppers' funk-machine Flea is also among the nominees for his work on The Getaway and on the polar end of the spectrum is Obscura's Linus Klausenitzer for his fretless bass mastery on Akróasis.

Duff McKagan's return to Guns N' Roses was one of the biggest stories this year and he dominated the stage on the band's stadium tour in the U.S. over the summer and elsewhere around the world. Opeth's cerebral Sorceress was another venture into the deep progressive waters with Martin Mendez's artful playing one of its many highlights.

On the hard rock side, Disturbed's John Moyer enjoyed another massive year on the road and is headed for another big year as Art of Anarchy prep their debut album, with the single "The Madness" receiving considerable attention. Rounding out the list of nominees is Nikki Sixx of Sixx: A.M., who released two albums this year and have been a staple of rock radio.

Vote for the Best Bassist of the Year in 6th Annual Loudwire Music Awards in the poll below! Fans can vote once per hour and polls close on Jan. 10 at 10AM ET, so vote often to ensure your pick wins!