The Metal Hammer Golden God Awards 2018 in association with Monster Energy was once again the ultimate celebration of the past 12 months of rock and metal from around the world.
Ozzy Osbourne was on hand to collect the evening’s main accolade, The Golden God Award, and an incredible full-production set from Parkway Drive closed the ceremony.
Taking place at Indigo at The O2, London on Monday (June 11), Hatebreed frontman Jamey Jasta hosted this unique and special night, which was, like all Golden Gods shows, all about the fans. There were no tables, no sit-down dinners, no industry backslapping – this was a room full of genuine fans who have voted in their hundreds of thousands to see their favourite bands be victorious.
“The Golden Gods aren’t just the biggest metal awards on the planet – they’re the only music awards that put our community at the very heart of it all,” says Metal Hammer Editor, Merlin Alderslade. “Thank you to everyone who came out to support the awards and who continue to support the magazine. What a night. Same again next year, yeah?”
With a career dating back almost five decades, Ozzy Osbourne’s status sees him rightly revered as one of the most important – and, at times, infamous – figureheads in all of rock and metal, which is why he was presented with 2018’s Golden God accolade. The Prince Of Darkness himself came to the event, fresh from his headline set at the Download Festival on Sunday (June 10) to accept his accolade.
On receiving the award, Ozzy said, “What an immense honour it is to be getting a second Golden God Award after Sabbath picked one up last year. The fans who have supported me and this music mean everything to me, which is why getting this award is so special.”
Previous acceptees of the Golden God included Motörhead legend Lemmy, Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine and Rob Zombie amongst others.
Parkway Drive are one of the most exciting live bands on the planet, and they closed the show with a blistering full-production set. This was an incredibly intense and intimate show for the band that headlined Download Festival’s Zippo Encore Stage on Saturday (June 9) and last year played two nights at the prestigious, 5,000-capacity Brixton Academy as part of their world tour.
As ever, the awards ceremony was woven together with live performances, making this five-artist bill one of the most exciting of the year. Synthwave sensation Carpenter Brut opened the show playing alongside Baroness, Myrkur and Meshuggah. In previous years, there have been headline sets from Motörhead, Mastodon, Anthrax and Steel Panther to name but a few.
The evening’s awards once again honoured the very best new and established artists from around the globe, as well as the events and record labels that make this genre the force it is. Japan’s latest metal sensations, Lovebites, won Best New Band sponsored by Röad Crew. The all-female power metal crew have taken their motherland by storm and look set for world domination! Wolves In The Throne Room won Best Underground Band sponsored by Relapse Records. The American black metallers released their sixth full-length studio album, ‘Thrice Woven’, in September to critical acclaim.
Judas Priest, like fellow Brummies Black Sabbath, are one of the forefathers and most important bands in rock and metal, and they were winners of the Best British Band sponsored by Nuclear Blast. Next year is their 50th anniversary, and they are still as relevant and immense today as the day they began! Best Live Band sponsored by Monster Energy was won by Italy’s multi-award-winning gothic metallers, Lacuna Coil. Best International Band went to Sweden’s melodic death metallers Arch Enemy, who co-headlined a sold-out North America tour in 2017 with Trivium and released their acclaimed 10th studio album, ‘Will To Power’.
US-based Sumerian Records have been a driving force for modern metal bands and this year won the Best Independent Label. Winner of the Best Event sponsored by Spinefarm Records needs no introduction and is without doubt one of the most respected festivals in the world: Download. Taking place the weekend before the Golden God Awards, the festival’s headliners this year were Avenged Sevenfold, Guns N’ Roses and the Golden God himself, Ozzy Osbourne.
Breakthrough sponsored by Sumerian Records this year went to Code Orange, who released their third album, ‘Forever’, in 2017 through Roadrunner Records, which propelled their career and saw them nominated for a Grammy for the album’s opening track of the same name. Wes Borland, Limp Bizkit guitarist and the lead vocalist and guitarist of the alternative and industrial metal bands Black Light Burns and Big Dumb Face, was this year’s Riff Lord sponsored by Chapman Guitars.
Lebanon’s Kaoteon have been arrested and have found huge opposition to their music from authorities and religious groups in their own country. Despite this, they are at the forefront of a growing metal scene in Beirut and are taking the metal world by storm. They are the worthy winners of the Global Metal Award sponsored by Century Media. The Inspiration Award sponsored by uDiscover was won by Sweden’s Meshuggah, who were formed more than 30 years ago, and Best Album sponsored by Roadrunner Records went to Denmark’s Myrkur for her second album, ‘Mareridt’, and both artists performed live on the night.
Spirit Of Hammer sponsored by Sliptrick Records went to Jessica Pimentel, who plays Maria Ruiz in ‘Orange Is The New Black’ and is also the lead singer of metal band Alekhine’s Gun and backing vocalist in the band Brujeria. Spirit Of Hammer is an award for those who hold the principles and passion of metal and what Metal Hammer stands for! Icon sponsored by Zippo Encore doesn’t get bigger than Maynard James Keenan. Vocalist of Tool, Puscifer and A Perfect Circle, he has sold millions of records around the world and recently released A Perfect Circle’s fourth album, ‘Eat the Elephant’, their first in 14 years, which debuted at number four in the US Billboard Top 100.
The full list of winners:
Best New Band – Lovebites
Best Underground Band – Wolves In The Throne Room
Best British Band – Judas Priest
Best Live Band – Lacuna Coil
Best International Band – Arch Enemy
Best Independent Label – Sumerian Records
Best Event – Download Festival
Breakthrough – Code Orange
Riff Lord – Wes Borland
Global Metal – Kaoteon
Inspiration – Meshuggah
Best Album – Myrkur – Mareridt
Spirit Of Hammer – Jessica Pimentel
Icon – Maynard James Keenan
Golden God – Ozzy Osbourne
