The Heavy Music Awards are the only ceremony for metal and rock music where all winners are entirely chosen by a public vote. Pre-recorded live performances by The Hunna, Wargasm, Holding Absense, Heart of a Coward, Coldbones and Hawxx were streamed between the individual awards.

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Find the full report and all the winners from last night’s electrifying #HMA20 via the link in bio. If you tuned in, thanks for watching!: @tomrussellphoto

Публикация, споделена от Heavy Music Awards (@heavymusicawards) на Сеп 4, 2020 в 12:08 PDT

The prize for Best UK Band went to Bring Me The Horizon after a particularly productive last year which saw them release their critically acclaimed sixth studio album Amo, prepare material for a surprising follow-up EP, and drop the single ‘Ludens’ which is supposed to feature on upcoming Post Human. Bring Me The Horizon also became the first band to retain their award after winning the same category in 2019 and taking their place in the hall of fame alongside previous winners Architects (2018) and Black Sabbath (2017). 

Heavy Music Awards 2020 Winner: Best UK Band Presented by Amazon Music Bring Me The Horizon pic.twitter.com/AVBzQMHheA — Heavy Music Awards (@heavymusicawds) September 3, 2020

The award for best UK Festival went to Download which also won at the inaugural ceremony in 2017. The festival was chosen by fans among other nominees ArcTanGent, Roadburn, Bloodstock, Hellfest, 2000 Trees and Slam Dunk.

On the international front Rammstein were crowned as the Best Live Band for their legendary live shows. Australian metalcore outfit Polaris grabbed the prize for Best International Breakthrough Band while Slipknot claimed both the award for Best International Band and the prestigious main prize for Best Album of 2019 for their last record We Are Not Your Kind.

Heavy Music Awards 2020 Winner: Best Album Presented by Amazon Music Slipknot – We Are Not Your Kind Roadrunner Records • Produced by Greg Fidelman pic.twitter.com/gMGoGVnCvH — Heavy Music Awards (@heavymusicawds) September 3, 2020

In other categories Catherine Marks became the first female to win the Best Producer following her impressive work with bands like Foals, Killers, Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes, Amazons, Wolf Alice and many more. Renowned photographer Ester Segarra was chosen as the best professional in her category while John Dyer’s album cover of Baroness’ Gold & Grey won for Best Artwork.

Rising stars Nova Twins deservedly claimed the prize for Best UK Breakthrough Band and used their acceptance video to dedicate the award to all people who felt that the doors to the heavy music industry weren’t previously open for them. Don Broco won for Best Live Video for their last single ‘Action’ directed by Benjamin Roberds.

Thank you @heavymusicawds & everyone who voted!!! xxx https://t.co/esN7plt7cG — DON BROCO (@DONBROCO) September 3, 2020

The special H Award given each year for exceptional contribution to the heavy metal scene and community went to Dom Fraser who runs The Boileroom event space in Guildford. Check the full list of winners and more information at the Heavy Music Awards official website.

The special guests performing live this year are The Hunna, Holding Absence, Heart of a Coward, Wargasm, Coldbones and HAWXX. Sophie K from Kerrang! Radio returns as host joined by her fellow radio presenter Jon Mahon. Amazon Music UK is the headline sponsor of the HMA20 along with returning sponsors EMP and Alianz Music Insurance, and Upset Magazine as media partner.

#HMA20 is going online!

Full, exclusive live performances by @THEHUNNABAND, @HoldingAbsence, @hoac_official, @thisiswargasmuk, @Coldbonesuk and @hawxxmusic.

Hosted by @KerrangRadio‘s @iamsophiek and @jonmahonn.

Get all the details here: https://t.co/778e4afWGG pic.twitter.com/0Gng27k727

— Heavy Music Awards (@heavymusicawds) August 17, 2020

Each year, a panel of  hundreds of industry specialists select the nominees for all categories, celebrating the best of the British and international heavy music scene, including bands, albums, producers, photographers and festivals. The final nominees are officially announced by the end of February for the public to vote online in the following months. Voters are usually entered into a prize draw for tickets for the live ceremony, which unfortunately will not take place this year due to the current restrictions.

Traditionally, an additional Young Photographer of the Year award is announced earlier when the rest of the finalists are reavealed. This year Dani Wilgress won the prize for his image of Yungblud at the O2 Academy Brixton after several thousand people voted in January.

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This is surreal! Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to vote, share and just support my photography in general over the past few years! Your help has meant the world to me and I wouldn’t have won this without your incredible support. I would particularly like to thank my family and friends for always being there for me and believing me especially when I didn’t myself. Thank you ❤️

Публикация, споделена от Dani Willgress (@daniwillgressphotography) на Фев 5, 2020 в 1:12 PST

The Heavy Music Awards were first held in 2017 at the House of Vans and immediately became a favourite annual event followed by ceremonies at KOKO in Camden in 2018 and O2 Forum Kentish Town in 2019. The main award for best UK band was previously won by Bring Me The Horizon (2019), Architects (2018) and Black Sabbath (2017). Here is the full list of the 2020 nominees:

Best Album:
BABYMETAL – Metal Galaxy
Dinosaur Pile-Up – Celebrity Mansions
Sleep Token – Sundowning
Slipknot – We Are Not Your Kind
TOOL – Fear Inoculum
While She Sleeps – So What?

Best UK Band:
Architects
Bring Me The Horizon
Bury Tomorrow
Employed to Serve
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes
Venom Prison
While She Sleeps

Best International Band:
Fever 333
The Interrupters
Parkway Drive
Rammstein
Slipknot
Stray From The Path
TOOL

Best Live Band:
Amon Amarth
Behemoth
Brutus
Fever 333
Parkway Drive
Rammstein
Slipknot

Best UK Breakthrough Band:
Cold Years
Higher Power
Hot Milk
Ithaca
Lotus Eater
Nova Twins
Pengshui

Best International Breakthrough Band:
The Hu
Jesus Piece
Polaris
Simple Creatures
SKYND
Stand Atlantic
Thornhill

Best Album Artwork:
Baroness – Gold & Grey
Blood Incantation – Hidden History Of The Human Race
Bring Me The Horizon – amo
Cattle Decapitation – Death Atlas
Korn – The Nothing
Rammstein – Rammstein
Venom Prison – Samsara

Best Video:
Bring Me The Horizon – ‘In The Dark’
Creeper – ‘Born Cold’
Don Broco – ‘Action’
Enter Shikari – ‘Stop the Clocks’
Poppy ft. Fever 333 – ‘Scary Mask’
Rammstein – ‘Deutschland’
Slipknot – ‘Unsainted’

Best Festival:
2000 Trees
ArcTanGent
Bloodstock Open Air
Download Festival
Hellfest Open Air
Roadburn
Slam Dunk Festival

Best Photographer:
Sarah Louise Bennett
Corinne Cumming
Paul Harries
Jennifer McCord
Jake Owens
Sabrina Ramdoyal
Ester Segarra

Best Producer:
Carl Bown
Romesh Dodangoda
Greg Fidelman
Adam ‘Nolly’ Getgood
Larry Hibbitt
George Lever
Catherine Marks

Architects came away again with the award for Best Album, Holy Hell, released through Epitaph Records in November 2018, a third successive victory at the awards show for the Brighton band. The ‘Doomsday’ rockers also won Best Live Band. Bring Me The Horizon were crowned Best UK Band, with Best International Band going to Parkway Drive, and Bloodstock Open Air taking Best Festival. The full list can be found below.

Best Album

Architects – Holy Hell
Epitaph Records, Produced by Josh Middleton and Dan Searle

Best UK Band 
Bring Me The Horizon
RCA Records

Best International Band
Parkway Drive
Epitaph Records

Best Live Band 
Architects
Epitaph Records

Best UK Breakthrough Band 
Dream State
UNFD

Best International Breakthrough Band 
Fever 333
Roadrunner Records

Best Festival
Bloodstock Open Air

Best Photographer
Paul Harries

Best Producer
Dan Weller

The H – Awarded for exceptional positive contribution to the heavy music scene
The Dixon Family

The ceremony has been supported by groups including EMP, Ticketmaster, Spotify, Allianz, BIMM and The Pit. Music charity Nordoff Robbins served as HMA’s key partner. Andy Pritchard acclaimed the HMA in an interview, saying, “Curated by a collective of music industry professionals – all of them without exception fans of music first and foremost – the Heavy Music Awards will provide an entirely independent vehicle to democratically crown the best of the year in heavy music.” 

Recently, Bring Me The Horizon released their new single, ‘sugar honey ice & tea’, from their sixth album, ‘amo’. The album received a five star review on NME, “15 years into their career and light years from their deathcore beginnings, Bring Me The Horizon have embarked on an odyssey of diversity in sound, proof that they can do what they want and get away with it”