The finalists for the second annual Heavy Music Awards have been announced at a special launch event at Gorilla, Manchester.
In between performances from up-and-coming UK acts Milestones, Loathe and Cold Years, the shortlists for all ten categories were unveiled on-screen by the likes of Parkway Drive, Mastodon, Milk Teeth, Good Charlotte, Against Me!, Lower Than Atlantis, Cancer Bats and Employed To Serve.
Winners will be announced at London’s historic KOKO on Thursday 23 August.
Best Album:
- Code Orange – Forever (Roadrunner Records – Produced by Kurt Ballou & Will Yip)
- Converge – The Dusk In Us (Epitaph Records / Deathwish Inc – Produced by Kurt Ballou)
- Creeper – Eternity, In Your Arms (Roadrunner Records – Produced by Neil D. Kennedy)
- Enter Shikari – The Spark (Ambush Reality – Produced by David Kosten & Rou Reynolds)
- Mastodon – Emperor Of Sand (Reprise Records – Produced by Brendan O’Brien)
- The Menzingers – After The Party (Epitaph Records – Produced by Will Yip)
- While She Sleeps – You Are We (Independent – Produced by While She Sleeps)
Best UK Band:
- Arcane Roots (Easy Life)
- Architects (Epitaph Records)
- Creeper (Roadrunner Records)
- Enter Shikari (Ambush Reality)
- Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes (International Death Cult)
- Marmozets (Roadrunner Records)
- While She Sleeps (Independent)
Best International Band:
- Code Orange (Roadrunner Records)
- Converge (Epitaph Records)
- Mastodon (Reprise Records)
- The Menzingers (Epitaph Records)
- Metallica (Blackened Recordings)
- Parkway Drive (Epitaph Records)
- Trivium (Roadrunner Records)
Best Live Band (Presented by Jackson Guitars):
- Architects (Epitaph Records)
- Enter Shikari (Ambush Reality)
- Every Time I Die (Epitaph Records)
- Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes (International Death Cult)
- Ghost (Loma Vista Recordings)
- Gojira (Roadrunner Records)
- While She Sleeps (Independent)
Best UK Breakthrough Band:
- Bad Sign (Basick Records)
- Conjurer (Holy Roar Records)
- Employed To Serve (Holy Roar Records)
- Holding Absence (Sharptone Records)
- Loathe (Sharptone Records)
- Milk Teeth (Roadrunner Records)
- Venom Prison (Prosthetic Records)
Best International Breakthrough Band:
- Brutus (Hassle Records)
- Can’t Swim (Pure Noise Records)
- Knocked Loose (Pure Noise Records)
- Palaye Royale (Sumerian Records)
- Sløtface (Propeller Recordings)
- Stand Atlantic (Rude Records)
- Waterparks (Equal Vision Records)
Best Album Artwork (Presented by The Pit)
- Bell Witch – Mirror Reaper (Profound Lore Records – Artwork by Mariusz Lewandowski)
- Converge – The Dusk In Us (Epitaph Records / Deathwish Inc – Artwork by Jacob Bannon)
- Creeper – Eternity, In Your Arms (Roadrunner Records – Artwork by Nicky Barkla)
- Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes – Modern Ruin (International Death Cult – Artwork by Dean Richardson/Studio Yuck)
- Mastodon – Emperor of Sand (Reprise Records – Artwork by Donny Phillips)
- Northlane – Mesmer (UNFD – Artwork by Jacques Duquette / Fvckrender)
- Sikth – The Future In Whose Eyes? (Millennium Night – Artwork by Meats Meier)
Best Festival:
- 2000trees Festival (United Kingdom)
- Arc Tan Gent (United Kingdom)
- Bloodstock Open Air (United Kingdom)
- Download Festival (United Kingdom)
- Hellfest Open Air (France)
- Slam Dunk Festival (United Kingdom)
- UK Tech Fest (United Kingdom)
Best Photographer:
- Corinne Cumming
- Ben Gibson
- Joshua Halling
- Paul Harries
- Tina Korhonen
- Jennifer McCord
- Ed Mason
Best Producer:
- Kurt Ballou
- Romesh Dodangoda
- Neil D Kennedy
- Dan Lancaster
- Brendan O’Brien
- Will Putney
- Will Yip
Voting is open now – click here to cast your votes and automatically enter the draw for HMA18 tickets.
Our coverage of last year’s event and the full listings of winners are live on the site now. All that’s left to do now is to speculate on who’ll be winning one of these coveted awards.
