The Metal Hammer Golden Gods, presented by Orange Amplification and in association with World of Tanks, is approaching fast and if you haven't voted yet then WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM!? But if you're stuck for who to vote for in the Best UK Band (sponsored by Roadrunner Records) category then we've put together this simple guide for you to choose your favourite homegrown talent.
Carcass
Extreme metal champions and pioneers of grindcore, Carcass was formed in 1985 by ex-members of Napalm Death and Carnage. Erupting from this infected womb, spattered in membranous fluid and reeking of month-old cadavers, they went on to release the career-defining Heartwork in the early nineties. Carcass split in 1995, only to reform 12 years later with original members Michael Amott and Bill Steer. Last year’s release of Surgical Steel was their first in 18 years, and was a staggering, shredding beast. Even with Amott back on guitar duties in Arch Enemy, Carcass needlessly proved they are still masters of a genre they spawned.
Bring Me The Horizon
Bedecked in skinny jeans, sporting side-swept fringes and spewing goz, Sheffield by-blows Bring Me the Horizon have spent the last eight years getting up the nose of every self-respecting metulz fan this side of the pond. Their inability to compromise and frontman Oli Sykes’ knack for attracting a fuckton of ire have served them well in the long run. Their previous two albums, the snappily named There Is a Hell Believe Me I’ve Seen It, There Is a Heaven Let’s Keep It a Secret and last year’s Sempiternal were released to near universal acclaim, mashing neck-snapping riffs and mesmeric classical samples to huge success.
Iron Maiden
Asking Alexandria
Asking Alexandria formed in 2008 in York, and have risen quickly to stand at the pinnacle of an exciting new wave of UK-bred metalcore acts. Three albums in, and now a dominating British force flying the flag on both sides of the pond, their steep trajectory is matched only by their superior take on brutal catchiness. Last year’s sold out performance at the Brixton O2 Academy was a defiant middle finger to their rapidly diminishing detractors. Their star is in its ascendancy.
Architects
If the release of Lost Forever // Lost Together this year proves anything, it’s that Architects have continued to effectively carve out a seething but intelligent niche in their increasing saturated area of metalcore. Combining explosive riffs, dubstep and Sam Carter’s savvy damnation of our tainted political system, Architects have proven that the metal formula is there to be rewritten. This resilience and faith in their convictions across six studio albums has seen them become a cornerstone of contemporary British metal.
Make your voice heard in the Metal Hammer Golden Gods by voting over here. You can even win tickets to see what will be the best gig of the year.
