Black Sabbath to be crowned 2017 Golden Gods

Black Sabbath will be crowned Golden Gods at next week’s Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards in association with Orange Amplification.

The 15th annual event will be held at London’s IndigO2 at The O2 on Monday, June 12, which will be hosted by Fozzy frontman and WWE megastar Chris Jericho.

Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi will be on hand to receive the night’s most prestigious award on behalf of the band, who brought the curtain down on their 49-year career with a pair of sold-out shows in their home town of Birmingham in February.

Bassist Geezer Butler says: “Thank you for this award. It’s good to know that after almost 50 years Sabbath is still relevant, and has its importance in the history of music.

“I want to thank our fans who have been with us along the way, without them there would be no Sabbath.”

Metal Hammer editor Merlin Alderslade adds: “Black Sabbath are, quite simply, the Ground Zero for metal.

“Without them, heavy music wouldn’t exist as we know and love it today, and it only seems right that in a year where we’re celebrating the power of our scene, we acknowledge the influence of the Mac Daddies themselves.”

Mastodon will headline the event, which will also see performances from Orange Goblin, Clutch and Avatar.

There will also be a collection on the evening for The Heavy Metal Truants – a charity cycling group founded by Iron Maiden manager Rod Smallwood and former Metal Hammer editor-in-chief Alexander Milas.

They’re currently preparing to cycle the 164-miles between London and this weekend’s Download Festival in Derby to raise money for Nordoff Robbins, the Teenage Cancer Trust and Childline.

Milas says: “The Heavy Metal Truants are truly one of a kind. Between the hills and the heat, the cycle to Download is nothing short of breathtaking, but it’s nothing compared with the work these charities do every day. If you’re planning to donate, please dig deep!”

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Scott has spent 37 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, highlights deals, and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more. Over the last 12 years, Scott has written more than 11,500 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from news and features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.