After a pause in their live programming due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, the UK's Heavy Awards resumed their yearly in-person celebration of counter culture's best in a multitude of important categories.

Returning to O2 Forum Kentish Town in London for the gathering's fifth anniversary, Then Heavy Awards also played host to live performances from some of alternative music's most exciting, emerging forces. Headlined by an enthralling performance from the enigmatic, illusive Sleep Token, the award show also boasted bombastic sets from the likes of Trash Boat, Hot Milk, and As Everything Unfolds.

As for the honorees, the competition was certainly stiff with some of the music's biggest and brightest up for the hardware. As for who likely emerged as the MVP of the 2021 Heavy Awards - it would be safe to say Bring Me the Horizon walked away victorious. The band was nominated in four major categories and took home both the 'Best Album' (Post Human: Survival Horror) and 'Best U.K. Band' gold.

Additional winners that scored big at The 2021 Heavy Awards included genre-destructor Ghostemane in the 'Best International Artist' slot. Both Spiritbox and Wargasm took home top honors in both the international and domestic breakthrough artists spots respectively. The sensational Nova Twins walked with 'Best Video' honors while Enter Shikari was tops in the 'Best Production' category for their 2020 opus, 'Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible'.

For the award show's first ever 'Best Podcast' category, names like Jamey Jasta of The Jasta Show, Finn McKenty's Punk Rock MBA, Stephen Hill and Remfry Dedman's Riot Act, the Local H Lifers podcast, Sean Smith and Morgan Richards' Sappenin' and Daniel P. Carter's Someone Who Isn't Me made for a quality field of competitors. However, Knotfest's very own Craig Reynolds and his Downbeat Podcast walked with the trophy as the Stray From the Path drummer turned podcaster won big.

From comedian Ed Gamble to biohacker Hana Devore, to Trivium's Matt Heafy, Reynold's casual conversational series has struck a chord with followers that are looking for a non-traditional exchange from established names in their respective fields. While almost every episode ends with the guests Top 5 bands, and likely some Metallica talk, everything else is brilliantly unpredictable and off the cuff.

Congrats to Craig Reynolds. See the complete list of nominees and winners below.

Heavy Music Awards 2021

BEST ALBUM:

Bring Me the Horizon – Post Human: Survival Horror (Winner)
Bury Tomorrow – Cannibal
Code Orange – Underneath
Creeper – Sex, Death & The Infinite Void
Deftones – Ohms
Machine Gun Kelly – Tickets To My Downfall
Neck Deep – All Distortions Are Intentional

BEST U.K. BAND:

Bring Me the Horizon (Winner)
Bury Tomorrow
Creeper
Loathe
Neck Deep
Nova Twins
While She Sleeps

BEST INTERNATIONAL BAND (Presented by EMP):

Corey Taylor
Deftones
Five Finger Death Punch
Ghostemane (Winner)
Lamb Of God
The Pretty Reckless
Trivium

BEST U.K. BREAKTHROUGH BAND (Presented by SharpTone Records):

As Everything Unfolds
Caskets
Death Blooms
Phoxjaw
Salem
Static Dress
Wargasm (Winner)

BEST INTERNATIONAL BREAKTHROUGH BAND:

Dying Wish
END
Ghøstkid
Meet Me @ The Altar
Spiritbox (Winner)
Tallah
Yours Truly

BEST ALBUM ARTWORK:

Code Orange – Underneath
Creeper – Sex, Death & The Infinite Void
Dance Gavin Dance – Afterburner (Winner)
Enter Shikari – Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible
Ghostemane – Anti-Icon
Palm Reader – Sleepless
Phoxjaw – Royal Swan

BEST VIDEO:

Architects – "Animals"
Bring Me the Horizon (feat. Yungblud) – "Obey"
Deftones – "Ohms"
ERRA – "Snowblood"
Eskimo Callboy – "Hypa Hypa"
Nova Twins – "Taxi" (Winner)
While She Sleeps – "Sleeps Society"

BEST PODCAST:

The Downbeat (MF'n WINNER)
The Jasta Show
Lifers
The Punk Rock MBA
Riot Act
Sappenin’
Someone Who Isn’t Me

BEST PRODUCTION:

Bring Me the Horizon – Post Human: Survival Horror (Jordan Fish & Oliver Sykes)
Code Orange – Underneath (Jami Morgan & Nick Raskulinecz & Will Yip)
Creeper – Sex, Death & The Infinite Void (Xandy Barry)
Enter Shikari – Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible (Rou Reynolds) (Winner)
Four Year Strong – Brain Pain (Will Putney)
Loathe – I Let It In And It Took Everything (Loathe & George Lever & Jens Bogren)
Palm Reader – Sleepless (Lewis Johns)