Heavy Music Awards 2020 finalists announced
The finalists for the fourth annual Heavy Music Awards have been announced, comprising 11 categories of 7 nominees, entirely based on the nominations of almost 700 individuals working across the music industry.
As in previous years, the field is wide open, with artists facing off from all sides of the heavy music spectrum.
The categories include some returning winners, some huge artists being nominated for the first time, and as always, another glowing advertisement for the incredible emerging talent from all around the world.
Voting is open now, with all voters entered into the draw to win tickets to the Heavy Music Awards 2020 at the O2 Forum Kentish Town, London, on May 21 2020.
The Heavy Music Awards panel is comprised of around 600 individuals who make their home somewhere in the music industry.
The size, and the variety of the roles represented by this panel are a key part of ensuring the HMAs are as democratic as possible.
Each of these individuals is asked to nominate their three favourites in each category – their nominations are tallied up, and the top seven in each category are finalists, which the public then votes on.
There is no other factor in the process.
HEAVY MUSIC AWARDS 2020: THE FINALISTS
BEST ALBUM
Babymetal – Metal Galaxy (Produced by Kobametal)
Bring Me The Horizon – amo (Produced by Oliver Sykes & Jordan Fish)
Dinosaur Pile-Up – Celebrity Mansions (Produced by Larry Hibbitt)
Sleep Token – Sundowning (Produced by George Lever)
Slipknot – We Are Not Your Kind (Produced by Greg Fidelman)
Tool – Fear Inoculum (Produced by Joe Barresi)
While She Sleeps – So What? (Produced by Carl Bown)
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 by John Dyer Baizley
Blood Incantation – Hidden History Of The Human Race by Bruce Pennington
Bring Me The Horizon – amo by Darren Oorloff
Cattle Decapitation – Death Atlas by Wes Benscoter
Korn – The Nothing by Tension Division
Rammstein – Rammstein by Jes Larson
Venom Prison – Samsara by Eliran Kantor
BEST VIDEO
Bring Me The Horizon – In The Dark (Directed by Oliver Sykes)
Creeper – Born Cold (Directed by Oscar Sansom)
Don Broco – Action (Directed by Benjamin Roberds)
Enter Shikari – Stop the Clocks (Directed by Polygon)
Poppy ft. Fever 333 – Scary Mask (Directed by Titanic Sinclair)
Rammstein – Deutschland (Directed by Specter Berlin)
Slipknot – Unsainted (Directed by Shawn Crahan)
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