Heavy metal has an award show, and its unlike any other award show on earth. Mosh pits, black t-shirts, and once in a life time collaborations between some of the industries hottest acts. Yes my friends- this is the Golden Gods! This is where metal shines, and thanks to Revolver magazine, we are witnessing this event for the fifth year in a row. Who is performing, who is nominated, and every other detail was announced today, January 30, 2013, at the press conference, and we were there to bring you the info you all have been dying to hear.
Starting off the press conference was a huge bombshell of an announcement that Metallica will be headlining and ending the show. Since day one, Revolver has been wanting to get them, and now it’s finally happening. Can you image seeing Metallica perform in a small venue like Club Nokia in Los Angeles? This will be the story you will tell your kids/grand-kids when you’re older! While Metallica couldn’t be there, Lars Ulrich left us a message that basically said it was going to be one of hell of night, judging from his past experience from the second Golden Gods show.
It was also announced that Metallica will be receiving the “Ronnie James Dio Lifetime Achievement Award“. The press conference wasn’t centered around Metallica; other announcements included Rob Zombie receiving the “Golden God award,” Tommy Iomi receiving the “Riff Lord award,” and of course, the performance announcements. Last years performers were some of the best the award show has seen, but this year, might have out done themselves. Joining Metallica on stage will be Anthrax, Five Finger Death Punch, Stone Sour, Halestorm, and the Dillinger Escape Plan, with more to be announced as the show nears.
Ending the press conference were the nominees presented by several musicians from various bands including some of the bands performing. Here are the nominees for the 2013 Golden Gods Award Show:
BEST GUITARIST presented by Epiphone
· John 5 (Rob Zombie & solo)
· Stephen Carpenter (Deftones)
· Alex Lifeson (Rush)
· Misha Mansoor (Periphery)
· Brendon Small (Dethklok)
· Kim Thayil (Soundgarden)
BEST DRUMMER presented by Drum Workshop
· Abe Cunningham (Deftones)
· Mario Duplantier (Gojira)
· Arejay Hale (Halestorm)
· Gene Hoglan (Dethklok & Testament)
· Roy Mayorga (Stone Sour)
· Neil Peart (Rush)
PAUL GRAY BEST BASSIST presented by Dean Markley
· Rex Brown (Kill Devil Hill)
· Steve Harris (Iron Maiden & solo)
· Lemmy Kilmister (Motörhead)
· Geddy Lee (Rush)
· Jason Newsted (Newsted)
· Sergio Vega (Deftones)
BEST VOCALIST presented by Rockstar Energy Drink
· Phil Anselmo (Down & solo)
· Maria Brink (In This Moment)
· Chris Cornell (Soundgarden)
· Lzzy Hale (Halestorm)
· Chino Moreno (Deftones)
· Corey Taylor (Stone Sour & Slipknot)
BEST NEW TALENT
· Device
· Ghost
· Kvelertak
· Miss May I
· Of Mice & Men
· Young Guns
MOST METAL ATHLETE presented by Roadrunner Records
· Tom Crabtree (Green Bay Packers, NFL)
· Tanner Faust (Rally and drifting car racing)
· Clay Guida (Mixed Martial Arts fighting, UFC)
· Triple H (WWE wrestling)
· Geoff Rowley (Skateboarding)
· CJ Wilson (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, MLB)
BEST LIVE BAND presented by Samson/Zoom
· Anthrax
· Five Finger Death Punch
· Hatebreed
· Lamb of God
· Slipknot
· Volbeat
COMEBACK OF THE YEAR
· Aerosmith
· The Darkness
· Quicksand
· Refused
· Soundgarden
· Tenacious D
SONG OF THE YEAR
· Asking Alexandria, “Run Free”
· Avenged Sevenfold, “Carry On”
· Black Veil Brides, “In The End”
· Dethklok, “I Ejaculate Fire”
· Halestorm, “Love Bites (So Do I)”
· In This Moment, “Blood”
MOST DEDICATED FANS presented by Xbox LIVE
· Black Label Society
· Black Veil Brides
· A Day To Remember
· HIM
· Rammstein
· Slipknot
ALBUM OF THE YEAR presented by Orange Amplification
· Deftones, Koi No Yokan
· Gojira, L’Enfant Sauvage
· Halestorm, The Strange Case of…
· Marilyn Manson, Born Villain
· Soundgarden, King Animal
· Stone Sour, House of Gold & Bones Part 1
This years Golden Gods will be held at the Club Nokia in Los Angeles, California on May 2nd, with tickets and VIP bundles going on sale on Monday, February 4th. Links with more information on that will be provided at the end of this post. If you’re unable to attend the Golden Gods, the show will be broadcast on Xbox Live, Facebook, and for the first time, on axs.tv.
After the press conference, we were treated to a special concert by Halestorm. This band has gained a tremendous amount of popularity by fans and musicians recently and after seeing them perform, it was easy to see why this band is receiving so much attention. Halestorm started their set with “Love Bites,” which they performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live the night before. But there was something different about this performance; it might be because the press in attendance were there for metal, while the crowd at Kimmel were there just for the Kardashians, which made the vibe of their performance much better.
The room was filled with mostly press and Halestorm’s fellow peers, so was there pressure for them to do their best? No, there’s no pressure; this band is pure talent and its taking them places. Singer, Lzzy Hale is a treat to watch live, and is isn’t because she’s gorgeous; she’s a true guitar goddess. This was clearly seen during the jaw-dropping guitar solo in the beginning of ” I Miss Misery” where one could have closed his/ her eyes and easily felt like he/she was in the 80’s getting their mind blown by sweet, sweet solos.
Finally, it was time to put the Golden Gods press conference to rest, and what better way to do so than by doing a famous Golden Gods, once in a lifetime performance. Sebastian Bach joined Halestorm on stage and joined forces to do the ultimate cover of Skid Row’s “Slave to the Grind“. Both Lzzy and Sebastian gave it their all and more as they traded off singing and hitting high notes. The most impressive thing about this song was Lzzy’s ability to match Sebastian Bach; a feat hard to accomplish by Sebastian’s standards (dude’s got an iron lung, come on!). The five songs Halestorm performed were “Love Bites“; “Freak Like Me“; ” I Get Off“; “I Miss Misery“; and “Slave to the Grind”.
Vote for your Golden Gods! GoldenGodsAwards.com
Review by: Alex Lucero
Though a photographer wasn’t able to photograph the conference, check out the photos that our writer, Alex Lucero took on his Iphone!
