Metal Storm Awards 2015 - Results Are Up!
The voting is closed, the votes are counted, the results are up.
Friends, Romans, countrymen: pencils down. You came, you saw, you voted, and now the die is cast - behold them, the conquerors of the [ed: wait, what? We're still doing the Star Wars theme? Hang on.] Gands, Devaronians, Calamarians: turn off your datapads. Another edition of the Metal Storm Awards has come and gone, like only so many nomadic Alwari. Observe the results; have your prophecies been fulfilled?
While 2014's Awards shook up the competition with some fresh and unexpected victors, in the case of 2015, like any good Death Star, you could sense the results from lightyears away - as if millions of voices suddenly cried out and immediately voted only for the bands they recognized. In many of these categories, the winner was the only nominee to break a hundred votes, and then often by a margin more expansive than the Rakatan Infinite Empire. The only category with a reasonably close competition was Power, in which Blind Guardian and Symphony X traded places more times than Darth Vader has had to replace his right hand; otherwise, nobody managed to bring balance to the votes. Enslaved, Paradise Lost, Ghost, Ensiferum, Lamb Of God - just about every field got swept. It might be about time to present Amorphis with a Lifetime Achievement Award and excuse them from future competitions.
Nightwish ran through the Symphonic category like a fleet of World Devastators, snatching victory from the jaws of... well, completely foreseeable victory, as they pulled away with more than ten times as many votes as the runner-up. Interestingly, Nightwish also comfortably secured the dubious distinction of Biggest Letdown, crushing other reputable acts like Iron Maiden, Slayer, and The Avengers II: Age of Ultron (whose nomination we're pretty sure was Joss Whedon's first-ever on this or any metal site). While two of our users seem to have declared ar'krai against that film, another took it upon themselves to defend Robert Downey, Jr.'s honor by nominating him for Best Power Metal Album.
Biggest Surprise went to Swallow The Sun and their three-disc, multi-genre epic Songs From The North I, II & III (and not to Michael Kiske on account of "how much he looks like a potato now"). Metal Storm itself received four separate nominations for Biggest Drama. It means a lot to us, guys, but we have to hand it to Immortal - not since the Max Rebo Band nearly became sarlacc food has a band died such an undignified death, only to be resurrected after some faffing about technicalities. The Blizzard Beasts even topped Wintersun (nominated again; might be Time II give up on that one, folks). On a lighter note, we at Metal Storm Towers heeded your requests, and this year we reintroduced the Best Album Artwork category, which generated a lot of attention.
Win or lose, we maintain our philosophy that the Metal Storm Awards are about the music, and not about who gets our lovely, prestigious trophies. If you're feeling disenfranchised about the results (which were more thoroughly predictable than The Force Awakens), just remember that the nominees are all still down there, still available to be uncovered by potential fans.
But enough talk; go check out the results!
Friends, Romans, countrymen: pencils down. You came, you saw, you voted, and now the die is cast - behold them, the conquerors of the [ed: wait, what? We're still doing the Star Wars theme? Hang on.] Gands, Devaronians, Calamarians: turn off your datapads. Another edition of the Metal Storm Awards has come and gone, like only so many nomadic Alwari. Observe the results; have your prophecies been fulfilled?
While 2014's Awards shook up the competition with some fresh and unexpected victors, in the case of 2015, like any good Death Star, you could sense the results from lightyears away - as if millions of voices suddenly cried out and immediately voted only for the bands they recognized. In many of these categories, the winner was the only nominee to break a hundred votes, and then often by a margin more expansive than the Rakatan Infinite Empire. The only category with a reasonably close competition was Power, in which Blind Guardian and Symphony X traded places more times than Darth Vader has had to replace his right hand; otherwise, nobody managed to bring balance to the votes. Enslaved, Paradise Lost, Ghost, Ensiferum, Lamb Of God - just about every field got swept. It might be about time to present Amorphis with a Lifetime Achievement Award and excuse them from future competitions.
Nightwish ran through the Symphonic category like a fleet of World Devastators, snatching victory from the jaws of... well, completely foreseeable victory, as they pulled away with more than ten times as many votes as the runner-up. Interestingly, Nightwish also comfortably secured the dubious distinction of Biggest Letdown, crushing other reputable acts like Iron Maiden, Slayer, and The Avengers II: Age of Ultron (whose nomination we're pretty sure was Joss Whedon's first-ever on this or any metal site). While two of our users seem to have declared ar'krai against that film, another took it upon themselves to defend Robert Downey, Jr.'s honor by nominating him for Best Power Metal Album.
Biggest Surprise went to Swallow The Sun and their three-disc, multi-genre epic Songs From The North I, II & III (and not to Michael Kiske on account of "how much he looks like a potato now"). Metal Storm itself received four separate nominations for Biggest Drama. It means a lot to us, guys, but we have to hand it to Immortal - not since the Max Rebo Band nearly became sarlacc food has a band died such an undignified death, only to be resurrected after some faffing about technicalities. The Blizzard Beasts even topped Wintersun (nominated again; might be Time II give up on that one, folks). On a lighter note, we at Metal Storm Towers heeded your requests, and this year we reintroduced the Best Album Artwork category, which generated a lot of attention.
Win or lose, we maintain our philosophy that the Metal Storm Awards are about the music, and not about who gets our lovely, prestigious trophies. If you're feeling disenfranchised about the results (which were more thoroughly predictable than The Force Awakens), just remember that the nominees are all still down there, still available to be uncovered by potential fans.
But enough talk; go check out the results!
| metalstorm.net |
Comments page 2 / 4
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| K✞ulu Seeker of Truth Posts: 2572  |
Proggers, you should be ashamed of yourself. Native Construct getting 30 votes... 
---- Savor what you feel and what you see Things that may not seem important now But may be tomorrow R.I.P. Chuck Schuldiner Satan was a Backstreet Boy
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| Nimlot A. Reader Posts: 469  |
Written by K✞ulu on 01.03.2016 at 12:53 The Prog category was rich with good albums, I had a hard time picking my vote. I didn't really think Leprous deserve the win and as much as I loved Native Construct, it came down to Steven Wilson vs. Riverside. And with the recent passing of Riverside's guitarist I voted for them. Native Construct was by far the most deserving in the Debut category, though.
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071  |
Written by Irritable Ted on 01.03.2016 at 12:26 I was wondering who nominated it. Now I know. 
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996 
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071 |
Written by Irritable Ted on 01.03.2016 at 13:16 Nope. We just get to see how many votes something got up to that poiunt in time.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| Diverge Posts: 1334 |
Written by K✞ulu on 01.03.2016 at 12:53 I know! Proggers don't even know what's good!
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| K|ng Posts: 24  |
I was so sure that Mgła would win the black metal award and i'm glad they did. This hell of an album deserves a listen from any metalhead around the world. It's a pure masterpiece and it's not only for black metalers.
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| slim pickings Account deleted |
slim pickings
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| BlueMobius Account deleted |
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| slim pickings Account deleted |
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Elite Posts: 5983  |
Well, I'll admit to my biggest mistake of the 2015 MSA: vouching for putting Midnight Odyssey into fucking Ambient/Drone. The rationale was that it's much more of an ambient album with some black metal spice lurking in the background than an "ambient black metal" album (which it is), and that it deserved to go in there. Should've known though that then everybody would flock to it as the most familiar name, even though it was greatly outclassed in that category by Dark Buddha Rising, Aderlating, Bong, and a few others. And Urfaust came in second place in there? Fucking Urfaust? Come on people, they probably had the most shit album in that entire category, no clue exactly why or how they even made it in. Fuck you all. Everyone should be killed.
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| Paz Elite Posts: 3912  |
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Elite Posts: 5983 |
Written by [user id=17278] on 01.03.2016 at 14:59 That almost looks akin to Chioreanu's style.... or maybe I've just gotten too used to seeing his shit everywhere  Either way I'm intrigued... band and album?
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| !J.O.O.E.! Account deleted |
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| slim pickings Account deleted |
slim pickings
Account deleted Written by Auntie Sahar on 01.03.2016 at 15:27 Dara - Dreptarul Viselor http://pestproductions.bandcamp.com/ check them out, you might like tham
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Elite Posts: 5983 |
My artwork vote went to Domovoyd. Honestly surprised no one else voted for this big ball of glorious. You all have shit taste and anyone who thinks otherwise "just doesn't get it" 
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| Diverge Posts: 1334 |
Written by [user id=17278] on 01.03.2016 at 13:46 Ktulu was absolutely right. Native Construct was obviously the best prog album of the year, and the fact that it got a mere 30 votes on this website is disgraceful. I never expected it to win the Progressive Metal category (although admittedly I thought it would have a good chance in the Debut category), but I expected better of proggers. I wouldn't even consider it to be a really small album- it basically exploded on the Internet and it was even highly regarded on Metal Storm, to my understanding. I imagine this is how ambient/done metal fans routinely feel about the category picks each year.
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Elite Posts: 5983 |
Written by [user id=17278] on 01.03.2016 at 16:01 You didn't even mention the ex-Negura Bunget members involved in this!  Yeah, I can already tell by the first track it's gonna be good, thanks for the suggestion
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Elite Posts: 5983 |
Written by Diverge on 01.03.2016 at 16:47 Ehhh, WITTR deserved to win that category in 2014 if you ask me, but Midnight Odyssey this year is just like come the fuck on 
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| FYA Destroyer Posts: 827  |
Next year - next Fear Factory album. And no matter how medicore will it be, people will ALWAYS choose it as album of the year. Wtf?
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| Zap Guest Posts: 3530  |
Written by [user id=142921] on 01.03.2016 at 16:01 Yay, we have the same one. I didn't put much thought into it though, I don't keep track of great album covers so I just took the first great one that popped into my head. That said, I love the addition of the category.
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| slim pickings Account deleted |
slim pickings
Account deleted Quote:Quote:Quote:Written by Diverge on 01.03.2016 at 16:47 so basically shame on me for not considering Native Construct the best prog album of 2015, how ignorant of me!  Subsignal got even less votes than Native Construct and I love their last album. Subsignal's album got only 17 votes. I haven't listened to the last Leprous album, I have listened to Bilateral and was not blown away, it's definitely interesting and I will explore some more (now that they won best prog in 2015, at least out of curiosity).
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| Alex F Slick Dick Rick Posts: 3503  |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 01.03.2016 at 15:25 I was wondering why that was in there. Blocking Aderlating or DBR from winning in there was quite a shame.
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071 |
It was there because Che voted positively on it. 
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Elite Posts: 5983 |
Written by Alex F on 01.03.2016 at 20:13 I still say that was the right place for it over black metal though.... it's just that the decision ended up shooting some of the real heroes in that category in the feet (Aderlating, Bong, DBR, Echoes Of Yul...)
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| Czerny Reiter Posts: 291  |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 01.03.2016 at 15:25 Heh. I voted for Urfaust's EP and loved plenty of names in the category on the whole - Bong, Echoes of Yul, Dark Buddah Rising, Seirom, Thaw - but not being much of an ambient listener really skews things for the worse. It's not easy to balance opinions on single listens of ambient albums that each require a peaceful and undisturbed listening experience (and one that doesn't lapse into sleep as it is all too easy to occur). Urfaust was the one that stuck, along with Dark Buddah and Bong. Absolutely could not get into that gargantuan monstrosity that is MO's album. Maybe later. But really, the only category whose voting I found myself in agreeance with was Extreme Doom. I wonder if it's a demographic effect.
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Elite Posts: 5983 |
Written by Czerny Reiter on 01.03.2016 at 20:33 I was overexaggerating a bit on Urfaust But I'd definitely say it was the weakest of the nominees there... but cheers if you enjoyed it man, we all have different tastes. Midnight Odyssey I think would be much better if about 30 - 40 minutes were shaved off of it. It's definitely not a bad album at all, just a bit too much fat on the meat, methinks. Ex. Doom was actually our strongest category this year, I would say... Ahab, Tyranny, Bell Witch, Below The Sun, Skepticism, the DIS/GTT collab... some really powerful releases in there. Ultimately my love went to Bell Witch though
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| Diverge Posts: 1334 |
Written by [user id=17278] on 01.03.2016 at 19:28 I was exaggerating a little bit when I said the word "obviously". You're perfectly entitled to your opinions and they are valid. I'm more upset that Native Construct didn't win Best Debut Album, and I kind of seized upon the frustration Ktulu was feeling. Written by [user id=17278] on 01.03.2016 at 19:28 Subsignal's newest album was a minor disappointment, especially for a band that hasn't seen greatness since at least Touchstones. It's a self-indulgent and quite boring affair that could have easily been reduced to a shorter album. At least Paraiso had some character and seemed more emotional. It's a shame not many people voted for Subsignal, though. Leprous is a great band, and admittedly Bilateral is not my favourite either. Tall Poppy Syndrome and Coal are the albums I'd recommend.
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| tea[m]ster Au Pays Natal Contributor Posts: 5256  |
No surprises for me really - been following metal a long time, it's just human nature most people vote for the most "popular" band. The Metalgaze category is example A, 60% of the vote went to Deafheaven. The other 4 nominees are much better IMO but big name rules. I voted for Darkology in the power category - one of 3 - that album deserves better. Terrific album, top 5 for me in 2015. Congrats to Kauan for winning the post award, although I have hard time labeling them post. They are really hard to classify. In the prog section, I discovered Ghost Ship Octavius, will be keeping an eye on them. Subsignal got my vote there, a much "heavier" album for them. And finally, my 2015 AOTY came in second in the stoner/sludge category, a nice showing indeed. Oh since some of us posted what artwork they wrote in, here's mine. 10 MetalStorm vouchers to anyone that can tell me what it is 
---- rekt
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| Karlabos Meat and Potatos Posts: 5658  |
That Domovoyd cover is good indeed. Almost as beautiful as the new shoutbox design I didn't vote for best art, wouldn't know where to begin :3
---- "Aah! The cat turned into a cat!" - Reimu Hakurei
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| !J.O.O.E.! Account deleted |
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted Written by tea[m]ster on 01.03.2016 at 22:21 Judd Madden - Waterfall II And I didn't used Google image search, honestly.
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