Slipknot, Deftones, Corey Taylor, Lemmy Kilmister + More Win 2013 Revolver Golden Gods Awards
The fans ultimately had the final say and in the end it's fitting that the 2013 Revolver Golden Gods Awards spread the wealth when it came to the night's top categories. Deftones, Corey Taylor and Slipknot were among the evening's top honorees.
Rob Zombie guitarist John 5 won the night's first honor, taking home the Best Guitarist Award. The musician kept his speech short, but did begin the night's recurring theme of saluting late Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who tragically passed way earlier in the day. As he held his award up, John 5 stated, "This one's for Jeff. We love you."
Halestorm skin-pounder Arejay Hale was the next winner, taking home the Best Drummer award. An awestruck Hale marveled at his competition in the category (Abe Cunningham, Gene Hoglan, Mario Duplantier, Roy Mayorga and Neil Peart) and thanked the fans for their support, adding, "I never knew we had that much love."
Before presenting the Best Live Album, Slayer's Kerry King and Black Label Society's Zakk Wylde took a moment to honor Jeff Hanneman. King, attempting to quell the sadness of the night, raised two shots to the sky and asked the audience to join him in a toast, then stated that a moment of silence wasn't appropriate considering Hanneman's metal gifts and urged everyone to yell and cheer the guitarist's memory. Wylde followed suit leading the crowd in "Slayer" chants. Fittingly enough, Slipknot, who know the loss of a band member all too well, won the award for Best Live Band and had an extended embrace with King.
Speaking of Slipknot, their frontman Corey Taylor provided one of the top moments of the night. On what was already an emotional evening, Taylor was overcome during his acceptance and was moved to tears while accepting the Best Vocalist honor, speaking about how much he gives of himself to the fans and the music he loves in every day of his life.
Deftones took home the highly coveted Best Album honor for 'Koi No Yokan,' and like many others, they used the platform to offer a nod to Hanneman while also providing the standard thank you's. The evening included another memorable moment from Black Veil Brides, who won Song of the Year for 'In The End.' The group was greeted with very noticeable boos from the crowd that led frontman Andy Biersack to go on a WWE-like rant against the haters booing in the audience. Device's David Draiman, who accepted the New Talent honor, started off positively enough joking that he should have started a new band sooner if that's what it took to win awards and also confirming that he and his wife are expecting their first child. But the frontman finished out his acceptance also calling out haters who hide behind their computer keyboards.
The night's previously announced honorees -- Rob Zombie, Tony Iommi and Metallica -- kept their speeches brief, with Iommi accepting his Riff Lord honor via video while Black Sabbath tours Australia. Other winners during the evening included Lemmy Kilmister (Best Bassist), Triple H (Most Metal Athlete), Tenacious D (Comeback of the Year), and HIM (Most Dedicated Fans).