Best Metal Band of 2013 – 3rd Annual Loudwire Music Awards

Black Sabbath's year can only be described as triumphant. After a reunion which was nearly sabotaged only months after the initial announcement, Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler regrouped to record '13' and finally embark on a much-anticipated tour. '13' even gave Sabbath the No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts, a feat never accomplished by the act in the U.S. until 2013.

Bring Me the Horizon freshened up the genre of metalcore with their 2013 full-length, 'Sempiternal.' The incredibly catchy record brought a new sense of excitement towards the U.K. act. Although BMTH have been extremely popular for many years, 'Sempiternal' brought them to the next level, standing head and shoulders above their contemporaries.

The British extreme metallers of Carcass released 'Surgical Steel,' their first album in 17 years, to massive acclaim. Fans of the band have been raving non-stop about 'Surgical Steel,' which made, and even topped, many "best of" lists this year. Once again, the surgery was a success, and Carcass will be associated with metal in 2013 for a long time.

Would you expect anything but an epic work from Dream Theater? The band's 12th studio album delivered vintage Dream Theater prog best heard from the biggest speakers you can find. 'Dream Theater' also boasts a notably heavy tone, likely cementing the album as the band's most "metal" release. The group also released their 'Live at Luna Park' DVD, which in true Dream Theater fashion, didn't disappoint.

There's likely no band that experienced the type of growth Ghost did in 2013. Ghost B.C. transformed from an underground mystery to a household name with the release of 'Infestissumam' and subsequent touring with metal legends such as Iron Maiden and Slayer. Mixing doom and classic rock influences with Satanic theatrics, Ghost B.C. can be considered one of the quintessential acts of 2013.

Gorguts is yet another group that made a stellar comeback in 2013. Many years in the making along with vigorous study of Eastern culture, 'Colored Sands' became Gorguts' first release since 'From Wisdom to Hate' came out in 2001. Boasting a fresh lineup of elite musicians, Gorguts perfected the sound of extremely dissonant and atonal death metal with 'Colored Sands,' gathering near-unanimous praise from critics and fans.

Could anyone fill the shoes of former Killswitch Engage vocalist Howard Jones? As it turns out, the answer was yes. Before Jones was Jesse Leach, and after a decade away from Killswitch, Leach returned to resume the position. Killswitch Engage hit the studio to write 'Disarm the Descent' in 2013, along with touring heavily, proving those unsure of Killswitch's comeback wrong.

Motorhead's 21st studio album, 'Aftershock,' is yet another solid release from the rock 'n' roll legends. Not only is 'Aftershock' enough reason to nominate Motorhead for this category, but the band toured as hard as they possibly could before Lemmy Kilmister's health would no longer allow it. The frontman is currently resting up, ready to be louder than everyone else yet again in 2014.

German progressive metal group the Ocean have been underground favorites for a decade. The conceptual giants had five acclaimed full-length albums before they released 'Pelagial' this year, which brought the band to a new stratosphere of compositional brilliance. Written entirely by guitarist Robin Staps, 'Pelagial' will likely go down as one of progressive metal's most shining examples.

After years of turmoil within Queensryche, which would legally be formed into two separate bands, the Todd La Torre-fronted Queensryche returned to form with their 2013 self-titled album. The air had been taken out of Queensryche's sails, especially in a live setting, but La Torre breathed new life into the heavy metal act, allowing the band members to flourish as musicians once again.