PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
Over 400 people boarded the HMS Hammer for the 10th annual Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards show boat trip down the Thames, from Tower Bridge to the 02. Consisting of Media, Bands, Guests and Metal Hammer competition winners, the pre party show kicked of in fine style, with a storming set from the Hobgoblin band search winners Evil Scarecrow. Other sets from Attica Rage, While She Sleeps, Fozzy and Shadows Fall kept the party spirit going despite a rain-swept day.
Having docked at the O2 Arena, the sea of metal fans made their way into the Indigo lounge to join the other 1000+ metalheads for the main event, the Golden Gods Awards.
What followed was an explosive night of live music from Biohazard, Watain, Ghost, Sabaton and Anthrax, with Host Chris Jericho handing out the awards.
Opening the awards last night was a full stage show from Watain, setting the tone for a night of debauchery and mayhem. Metal pioneers Biohazard along with Sweden’s finest metal exports Ghost and Sabaton interwove live sets with the awards. Anthrax – a member of the ‘Big Four’ and arguably one of the most important and influential thrash metal bands of all time – closed the 2012 awards with a mind-blowing performance.
WWE icon Chris Jericho, who also played on the now legendary pre-party boat HMS Hammer with his band Fozzy, was the evening’s host, and with the help of some guest presenters including Killswitch Engage and guitar-wielding legend Gus G, presented the evening’s awards.
Amongst those honoured was comedian Bill Bailey with the Spirit Of Hammer award, rock royalty Saxon recieved the Best British Band award, metal juggernauts Iron Maiden the Best Event award and lord for the evening was legend Joey DeMaio from Manowar who picked up The Golden God Award.
The vast majority of the winners were voted for by the readers of Metal Hammer magazine and metalhammer.co.uk and in full they were:
Best Underground Band. Watain
Best New Band. The Defiled
Dimebag Darrell ‘Shredder’ award. Devin Townsend
Best UK Band. Saxon
Best Live Band. Rammstein
Best Event. Iron Maiden Conquer The UK (Again)
Best International Band. Lamb Of God
Metal As Fu*k. Anthrax
Breakthrough Artist. Ghost
Spirit Of Hammer. Bill Bailey
Best Album. Mastodon ‘The Hunter’
Best Drummer. Vinnie Paul
Inspiration. Roadrunner Records
Icons. Fear Factory
Riff Lord. Robb Flynn & Phil Demmel – Machine Head
The Golden God. Joey DeMaio – Manowar
Video Of The Year. Trivium ‘In Waves’
There was also an award for Best Download Festival Moment, to coincide with the festival, which is also celebrating its 10th anniversary. The award was voted for through www.downloadfestival.co.uk website and was for the greatest Download moment of the past 10 years.
With highlights proving to be an embarrassment of riches, the winner was Slipknot for their now-legendary Saturday night headlining slot in 2009, which was perhaps the ultimate triumph for one of the greatest bands of their generation. This was presented to Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor by Metal Hammer editor Alexander Milas onstage at the Download Festival.
Alexander Milas, Editor of Metal Hammer magazine, says
“Ten playing bands, two boats, 18 awards, and nearly 2,000 fans, and completely heavy metal – there’s just nothing like the Metal Hammer Golden God awards. This wasn’t just the 10th anniversary of the event. It’s also the 25th anniversary year for our magazine, and tonight we partied with the legends, the new blood, and most importantly the fans, without whom our world wouldn’t exist. Here’s to another 10, and another 25. Chin-chin.”
Some of the winners.
www.metalhammer.co.uk
With thanks to Dave ‘Hammer’ Morris for the crowd shot.
