Kerrang! has unveiledtheir definitive shortlist of rock royalty and upstarts leading the charge for the Kerrang! Awards 2016 which takes place on June 9.
London’s Troxy will once again host the legendary night of rock n roll pandemonium, with Justin Hawkins of The Darkness and Skindred’s Benji Webb leading the festivities. This year, for the first time, the Kerrang! Awards will be teaming up with Help Musicians UK (HMUK), the country’s leading music charity for a groundbreaking partnership.
Last year was the first year that fans were able to attend the ceremony; this year Kerrang! are taking it up a notch by combining the ceremony with a full scale live gig. British metalcore giants Asking Alexandria will be hitting the stage and kicking off the party in debauched style. With more special guests to be announced, the Kerrang! Awards will once again be the highlight of the rock and showbiz calendar. Tickets are on sale now and available from www.kerrangtickets.co.uk
Front runners Biffy Clyro have picked up two nominations this year. The Scottish rock powerhouse up are for Best British Band, but will have to fend off recent chart toppers Bring Me The Horizon, bonafide heavy metal legends Iron Maiden, thepolitical post-hardcore pioneers Enter Shikari and Asking Alexandria. ‘The Biff’ also nabbed themselves a Best Event presented by Kerrang! TV nomination after their spectacular headline set at Edinburgh’s Hogmanay.
Best Event presented by Kerrang! TV is set to be a tough call; Guns N Roses shocked recently with the world’s most unlikely reunion which saw Slash, Axl Rose and Duff McKagen on stage for the first time in 23 years. Elsewhere, masked metallers Slipknot came out guns blazing, bringing their trademark explosive mayhem to Alexandra Palace. Surrey rockers You Me At Six get the nod for their benefit show to help with metal outfit The Ghost Inside’s medical fees after a horrific bus crash. Aussie pop-punkers Five Seconds Of Summer will be out representing for their ‘Sounds Live, Feels Live’ tour.
All Time Low get their second nomination of the night, with their hit single ‘Missing You’ up for Best Track presented by Kerrang! Radio. They’re up against the almighty Panic! At The Disco for ‘Emporer’s New Clothes’, Brighton’s biggest metalcore export Architects with ‘A Match Made In Heaven’, emo rockers Moose Blood’s ‘Honey,’ and Against The Current who are led by YouTuber turned rockstar Chrissy Costanza.
Best Live Band presented by Red Stripeis a truly international affair, with Japan’s teenage metal idols and last year’s ‘Spirit Of Independence’ winners BabyMetal picking up a nomination after their huge Wembley Arena show. America gets a good showing with the chart topping Twenty One Pilots who impressed with their dynamic live show, alongside LA glam metallers Black Veil Brides who have consistently been on top of their game. Watford’s finest punks Frank Carter & The Rattle Snakes are representing for Ol Blighty with their frenetic live shows and Finnish symphonic metal superstars Nightwish who’re renowned for their epic performances.
Iron Maiden get a second nomination for Best Album presented by Zippp for their first full-length in five years ‘The Book Of Souls’, alongside No Devotion for their critically acclaimed debut album ‘Permanence’ and Wrexham pop-punk heroes Neck Deep – who’ve been gruellingly touring their album ‘Life’s Not Out To Get You’ world-wide. Back in the metal corner Asking Alexandria get their second nomination for their first album with new vocalist Denis Stoff ‘The Black’ and Baroness for their epic triumphant ‘Purple’.
There’s been a plethora of breakout stars and home grown talent this year; with The Struts receiving their first ever Kerrang! Nomination for Best British Newcomer, alongside new-grave up and comers Creeper, 90s grunge revivalists Milk Teeth, shoegazey DIY punk rockers Muncie girls and London riffmeisters Counterfeit also receiving their first ever nomination.
Not ones to rest on their laurels, All Time Low are nominated in a second category for Best International Band presented by Fireball. They’ll go toe-to-toe with metal gods Metallica, alongside electro rockers PVRIS, Floridian rockers A Day To Remember andpop-punk veterans Fall Out Boy.
Keeping things transatlantic, New Orleans nu metal outfit Cane Hill are up for Best International Newcomer presented by Help Musicians, against Atlanta’s Biters who are fresh off the Kerrang! Tour, scrappy Philadelphia three-pieceBeach Slang, Kansas Missouri’s own Beautiful Bodies and Canadian alt-punk rockers The Dirty Nil.
Kerrang! Editor James McMahon said: “This year’s Kerrang! Awards nominations are the definition of strong. All Killer, No Filler as our 2016 Kerrang! Tour headliners Sum 41 might say. There’s no category you look at and think, ‘yup, Guns N’ Roses are going to walk away with that…’, and I think that’s testament to just what a strong rock scene - globally, and closer to home – we exist within right now. Normally when I have to write quotes for press releases like this, I say something like, “OMG, I’m so excited about the night!” but to be honest, I just feel a bit sad about it. It’s going to be a bloodbath. Many brilliant bands are going to go home disappointed. I might start drinking now. It goes without saying, mind, that Kerrang! Is very, very proud to be surrounded by as much talent as we have been at any point in our 35 year old history. But yeah, definitely starting drinking now…"
Other categories include: Best Film, Best Fanbase, Best Video Game, Best Comic Book, Best Festival and more.
Published on 04 May 2016 by Ben Robinson
