Heavy Music Awards 2020 announced on Amazon Music Twitch channel

The Fourth Heavy Music Awards found a new audience this year as Amazon Music UK hosted the event on its Twitch channel for the first time.

The nominations list for the awards was decided by 600 invited industry insiders, and then voted on by the public. 150,000 votes were cast from over 150 countries.

Accepting the award for Best International Band, Slipknot’s Shawn Crahan said: “It only means what it means when it’s voted by you, the fans, all round the world.” Slipknot also won Best Album, for We Are Not Your Kind.

The show was hosted by Sophie K and Jon Mahon from the Heavy Music Awards’ London offices, and was streamed live from the studios of AfterLive, with live performances by The Hunna, Holding Absence, Heart Of A Coward, Wargasm, Coldbones and Hawxx.

Bring Me The Horizon won Best UK Band, while Rammstein took the Best Live Band award, for their stadium shows in 2019.  Best album artwork went to Baroness for Gold And Grey.  

Catherine Marks was named Best Producer, for her work with Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, The Amazons and Frank Turner. 

Download was named Best Festival, although as organiser Andy Copping said: “A very bizarre year this year, of course, with no festival taking place, but fingers crossed we’re going to be back next year, bigger and stronger than we’ve always been.”

Best Video went to Don Broco for Action, while Ester Segarra was named Best Photographer. Breakthrough Band awards were handed out to Australian metalcore rockers Polaris, who took the International Awards, and the UK’s Nova Twins. “It’s so incredible for us, especially as women of colour, winning these rock awards,” said Nova Twins’ Amy Love, “because you don’t see it that often. Let’s keep pushing forward, keep diversifying the space.”

The H special award, recognising exceptional positive contribution to the heavy music scene, went to Dom and Space Frazer, the husband and wife team behind Guildford’s Boileroom venue. “We’d like to accept this award on behalf of all of the crews, and all the people who work tirelessly to make our cultural landscape so amazing. Keep doing what you’re doing and together we’ll get through this,” they said.

Main photo: The Hunna at HMA20 by Tom Russell