Given that Metal Hammer came very close to ceasing to exist last year, the fact that they were able to throw their 15th annual Golden Gods awards is quite an acheivement. The UK awards show took place last night and featured performances from Avatar, Clutch, Mastodon, and Orange Goblin, whose frontman Ben Ward started a crowdfunding campaign for the magazine’s employees after they were laid off last December.
Gojira picked up the best album of the year for Magma, Mastodon were named best live band, and Avatar won breakthrough band while Pallbearer was voted best underground band. There weren’t any repeat winners, suggesting that there’s quite a bit of diversity in their awards. Here’s who picked up awards last night:
Best New Band: Venom Prison
Best Underground Band: Pallbearer
Best UK Band: Architects
Best Live Band: Mastodon
Best International Band: Avenged Sevenfold
Best Independent Label: Nuclear Blast
Dimebag Darrell Shredder Award: Airbourne’s Joel O’Keeffe
Riff Lord: Devin Townsend
Best Game: Iron Maiden’s Legacy Of The Beast
Breakthrough: Avatar
Defender Of The Faith: Ben Ward and Sandie Soriano
Inspiration: Exodus
Best Album: Magma by Gojira
Spirit Of Hammer: Prophets Of Rage
Icons: The Dillinger Escape Plan
Golden Gods: Black Sabbath
