# Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards

The following is a list of the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards winners.

## History

The awards were conceived by Chris Ingham, John O'Sullivan & Dave Bianchi, and first held at the Kentish Town Forum in London 2003. The show was owned by Future Publishing till 2013, TeamRock 2014–16 and was bought back by Future in 2017. It has been produced by John O'Sullivan since its inception.

## Award ceremonies
### 2003

Held at the Forum, London Hosted by Ian Camfield Live main stage performance by Murderdolls, Shadows Fall, Soil and Raging Speedhorn.

#### Winners

* Best Album: AFI – Sing the Sorrow

### 2004

Held at Ocean, London Hosted by Ian Camfield Live main stage performance by HIM, Akercocke and Young Heart Attack.

#### Winners

* Best Album: Killswitch Engage – The End of Heartache

### 2005

Held at the Astoria, London Hosted by Ian Camfield Live main stage performance by Anthrax, Nightwish, Shadows Fall, Bullet for My Valentine and Trivium.

#### Winners

* Best UK Band: Lost Prophets
* Best Live: Slipknot
* Best Label: Roadrunner Records
* Best Newcomer: Nightwish
* Best Video: My Chemical Romance – "Helena"
* Spirit of Hammer: Black Sabbath
* Icon: Ville Valo
* Riff Lord: Zakk Wylde
* Young Guitar – Dimebag Tribute: Herman Li
* Best International: The Used
* Best Album: Judas Priest – Angel of Retribution
* Best Metal Band: Anthrax
* Golden God: Lemmy

### 2006

Held at Koko, London Hosted By Ian Camfield Live main stage performance by Bullet for My Valentine, DragonForce, Lacuna Coil and Viking Skull.

#### Winners

* Best Album: Coheed and Cambria – Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness
* Riff Lord: Jerry Cantrell
* Best Album of the Past 20 Years: Slayer - Reign in Blood
* Best UK Band: Bullet for My Valentine
* Best International Band: Avenged Sevenfold
* Best Live Band: Trivium

### 2007

Held at Koko, London Hosted by Jamey Jasta Live main stage performance by Machine Head, Dimmu Borgir, Lamb of God, Turisas and Priestess.

#### Winners

* Best Album: Machine Head – The Blackening

### 2008

Held at Indigo at the O2, London Hosted by Oderus Urungus Live main stage performance by Disturbed, Children of Bodom, In Flames, Apocalyptica and Testament.

#### Winners

* Best Album: Testament – The Formation of Damnation
* Best UK Band: Iron Maiden
* Best Live Band: Machine Head

### 2009

Held at Indigo at the O2, London Hosted by Jason Rouse Live main stage performance by Trivium, Anvil, Amon Amarth, DevilDriver, Suicide Silence and Saxon.

#### Winners

* Best Album: Lamb of God – Wrath

### 2010

Held at Indigo at the O2, London Hosted by Steel Panther Live main stage performance by Steel Panther, Airbourne, Five Finger Death Punch, Skindred and Evile. HMS Hammer performances by Nonpoint, Sonic Syndicate, Rise to Remain and Hellyeah.

#### Winners

* Best New Band: Rise to Remain
* Best Underground: Immortal
* Best Drummer: Mike Portnoy
* Global Metal: Demonic Resurrection
* Best Live: Machine Head
* Best Event: Download Festival
* Riff Lord: Joe Perry
* Spirit of Hammer: Sir Christopher Lee
* Best UK: Bullet for My Valentine
* Metal As ####: Evile
* Dimebag Darrell 'Shredder': Zoltan Bathory
* Breakthrough Artist: Five Finger Death Punch
* Inspiration: Tom G Warrior
* Best Album: Heaven & Hell – The Devil You Know
* Best International Band: Lamb of God
* Defenders of the Faith: Tracy and Jon Morter
* Golden God: Zakk Wylde

### 2011

Held at Indigo at the O2, London Hosted by Alice Cooper Live main stage performance by Twisted Sister, Skindred, Devin Townsend, Sylosis and Buckcherry. HMS Hammer performances by The Dead Lay Waiting, Tesseract, Black Spiders and Biohazard.

#### Winners

* Best New Band: The Damned Things
* Metal as ####: Nergal
* Best Underground: Primordial
* Dimebag Darrell 'Shredder': Gus G
* Breakthrough Artist: Sabaton
* Best UK: Iron Maiden
* Best Live: Skindred
* Inspiration: Twisted Sister
* Best International Band: Avenged Sevenfold
* Best Album: Killing Joke – Absolute Dissent
* Best Event: The Big 4 Coming Together
* Riff Lord: Pepper Keenan / Kirk Windstein
* Spirit of Hammer: Diamond Head
* Icons: Judas Priest
* Golden God: Rob Zombie

### 2012

Held at Indigo at the O2, London Hosted by Chris Jericho Live main stage performance by Anthrax, Sabaton, Ghost, Biohazard and Watain. HMS Hammer performances by Shadows Fall, Fozzy, While She Sleeps, Attica Rage and Evil Scarecrow.

#### Winners

| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
| 2012 |
| 2012 | The Defiled | Best New Band | Won |
| 2012 | Watain | Best Underground Band | Won |
| 2012 | Devin Townsend | 'Dimebag Darrell Shredder' Award | Won |
| 2012 | Ghost | Breakthrough Band Award | Won |
| 2012 | Rammstein | Best Live Band Award | Won |
| 2012 | Iron Maiden's U.K. Tour | Best Event Award | Won |
| 2012 | Lamb of God | Best International Band Award | Won |
| 2012 | Saxon | Best UK Band Award | Won |
| 2012 | Mastodon – The Hunter | Best Album Award | Won |
| 2012 | Anthrax | Metal as #### Award | Won |
| 2012 | Vinnie Paul | Best Drummer | Won |
| 2012 | Roadrunner Records | Inspiration Award | Won |
| 2012 | Robb Flynn and Phil Demmel | Riff Lord Award | Won |
| 2012 | Bill Bailey | Spirit of Hammer Award | Won |
| 2012 | Fear Factory | Icon Award | Won |
| 2012 | Joey DeMaio | The Golden God Award | Won |

### 2013

Held at Indigo at the O2, London Hosted by Devin Townsend Live main stage performance by Motörhead, Airbourne, Five Finger Death Punch, Coal Chamber and Paradise Lost. HMS Hammer performances by Kvelertak, Visions Of Disorder, The Defiled and Heavens Basement.

#### Winners

| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
| 2013 |
| 2013 | Bleed from Within | Best New Band | Won |
| 2013 | The Algorithm | Best Underground Band | Won |
| 2013 | Eric Calderone | 'Dimebag Darrell Shredder' Award | Won |
| 2013 | Asking Alexandria | Breakthrough Band Award | Won |
| 2013 | Gojira | Best Live Band Award | Won |
| 2013 | The Heavy Metal Census Campaign | Best Event Award | Won |
| 2013 | Stone Sour | Best International Band Award | Won |
| 2013 | Black Sabbath | Best UK Band Award | Won |
| 2013 | Black Sabbath – 13 | Best Album Award | Won |
| 2013 | Burgerkill | Metal as #### Award | Won |
| 2013 | Paradise Lost | Inspiration Award | Won |
| 2013 | Scott Gorham | Riff Lord Award | Won |
| 2013 | Brian Blessed | Spirit of Hammer Award | Won |
| 2013 | Alice in Chains | Icon Award | Won |
| 2013 | Motörhead | The Golden God Award | Won |
| 2013 | Doro | Legend Award | Won |

### 2014

Held at Indigo at the O2, London Hosted by Steel Panther Live main stage performance by Steel Panther, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Black Stone Cherry, While She Sleeps and Behemoth. HMS Hammer performances by Orange Goblin, Kill Devil Hill, Upon a Burning Body, Hounds and Dying Fetus.

#### Winners

| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
| 2014 |
| 2014 | Devil You Know | Best New Band | Won |
| 2014 | Wardruna | Best Underground Band | Won |
| 2014 | Misha Mansoor | 'Dimebag Darrell Shredder' Award | Won |
| 2014 | Of Mice & Men | Breakthrough Artist Award | Won |
| 2014 | Killswitch Engage | Best Live Band Award | Won |
| 2014 | Avenged Sevenfold | Best International Band Award | Won |
| 2014 | Iron Maiden | Best UK Band Award | Won |
| 2014 | Behemoth – The Satanist | Best Album Award | Won |
| 2014 | Hanoi Rocks | Inspiration Award | Won |
| 2014 | Mark Tremonti | Riff Lord Award | Won |
| 2014 | David Prowse | Spirit of Hammer Award | Won |
| 2014 | Michael Schenker | Icon Award | Won |
| 2014 | Mikael Åkerfeldt | The Golden God Award | Won |
| 2014 | Orphaned Land and Khalas | Global Metal Award | Won |
| 2014 | Devin Townsend | King of the Internet | Won |
| 2014 | Grand Theft Auto V | Game of the Year | Won |
| 2014 | Steel Panther – "Party Like It's the End of the World" | Video of the Year | Won |

### 2015

Held at Indigo at the O2, London Hosted by Scott Ian Live main stage performance by Suicidal Tendencies, We Are Harlot, Babymetal featuring DragonForce, At the Gates and Killing Joke. HMS Hammer performances by Code Orange, Butcher Babies, Upon a Burning Body and Napalm Death.

#### Winners

| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
| 2015 |
| 2015 | We Are Harlot | Best New Band | Won |
| 2015 | Winterfylleth | Best Underground Band | Won |
| 2015 | Richie Faulkner | 'Dimebag Darrell Shredder' Award | Won |
| 2015 | Babymetal | Breakthrough Band Award | Won |
| 2015 | Of Mice & Men | Best Live Band Award | Won |
| 2015 | Slipknot | Best International Band Award | Won |
| 2015 | Bring Me the Horizon | Best UK Band Award | Won |
| 2015 | Faith No More – Sol Invictus | Best Album Award | Won |
| 2015 | At the Gates | Inspiration Award | Won |
| 2015 | Matt Taylor | Spirit of Hammer Award | Won |
| 2015 | Mike Muir | Icon Award | Won |
| 2015 | Dave Mustaine | The Golden God Award | Won |
| 2015 | District Unknown/Martyrs of Metal | Global Metal Award | Won |
| 2015 | Anthony Vincent | King of the internet | Won |
| 2015 | Epitaph Records | Best Independent Label | Won |
| 2015 | Tommy Thayer | Defender of the Faith | Won |

### 2016

Held at the Hammersmith Apollo, London Hosted by Jamey Jasta Live main stage performance by Amon Amarth, Halestorm, Gojira and 'A Salute to Lemmy' with Saxon featuring Phil & Mikkey.

#### Winners

| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
| 2016 |
| 2016 | Creeper | Best New Band | Won |
| 2016 | Enslaved | Best Underground band | Won |
| 2016 | Lzzy Hale | 'Dimebag Darrell Shredder' Award | Won |
| 2016 | Beartooth | Breakthrough Band Award | Won |
| 2016 | Lamb of God | Best Live Band Award | Won |
| 2016 | Ghost | Best International Band Award | Won |
| 2016 | Asking Alexandria | Best UK Band Award | Won |
| 2016 | Iron Maiden – The Book of Souls | Best Album Award | Won |
| 2016 | Anthrax | Inspiration Award | Won |
| 2016 | Phil Campbell | Riff Lord Award | Won |
| 2016 | Nikki Sixx | Icon Award | Won |
| 2016 | Joey Jordison | The Golden God Award | Won |
| 2016 | Chthonic | Global Metal Band | Won |
| 2016 | Parkway Drive - "Vice Grip" | Video of the Year | Won |
| 2016 | Prosthetic Records | Best Independent Label | Won |

### 2017

Held at Indigo, O2, London Hosted by Chris Jericho Live main stage performance by Orange Goblin, Avatar, Clutch and Mastodon.

#### Winners

* Best New Band: Venom Prison
* Best Underground Band: Pallbearer
* Best UK Band: Architects
* Best International Band: Avenged Sevenfold
* Best Live Band: Mastodon
* Best Independent Label: Nuclear Blast
* Dimebag Darrell 'Shredder': Joel O'Keeffe (Airbourne)
* Game of the Year: Iron Maiden: The Legacy of the Beast
* Breakthrough: Avatar

#### Non fan-voted categories

* Riff Lord: Devin Townsend
* Defender of the Faith: Ben Ward (Orange Goblin) & his partner Sandie Soriano
* Inspiration: Exodus
* Best Album: Gojira – Magma
* Spirit of Hammer: Prophets of Rage
* Icon: The Dillinger Escape Plan
* Golden God: Black Sabbath

### 2018

Held at Indigo at the O2, London Hosted by Jamey Jasta Live main stage performance by Carpenter Brut, Baroness, Myrkur, Meshuggah and Parkway Drive.

#### Winners

* Best New Band: Lovebites
* Best Underground Band: Wolves in the Throne Room
* Best UK Band: Judas Priest
* Best International Band: Arch Enemy
* Best Event: Download Festival
* Best Live Band: Lacuna Coil
* Best Independent Label: Sumerian Records
* Breakthrough Artist: Code Orange

#### Non fan-voted categories

* Riff Lord: Wes Borland
* Defender Of The Faith: Parkway Drive
* Inspiration: Meshuggah
* Best Album: Myrkur – Mareridt
* Global Metal Award: Kaoteon
* Spirit Of Hammer: Jessica Pimentel
* Icon: James Keenan
* Golden God: Ozzy Osbourne