Heavy Music Awards 2026 Winners Announced

Deftones picked up the flagship Best Album award for ‘Private Music’

Having had to cancel the physical version of the tenth annual Heavy Music Awards, the winners have instead been revealed during a very special version of Alex Baker’s Kerrang! Radio Show tonight (Saturday 11 July).

Ahead of their forthcoming headline show at Outbreak in London, bona fide alternative music legends Deftones landed their first ever HMA, claiming the coveted Best Album gong for ‘Private Music’ , while in other notable categories Malevolence grabbed Best UK Live Artist after their Best UK Artist win in 2025, while Johnny Franck’s beloved country/metal crossover heroes Bilmuri capped off their recent UK/EU run with a first HMA win as Best International Artist.

BEST ALBUM

Deftones - Private Music (Reprise Records / Produced by Nick Raskulinecz & Deftones)

BEST BREAKTHROUGH ALBUM

Sleep Theory - Afterglow (Epitaph Records / Produced by David Cowell, Zakk Cervini, Julian Gargiulo & Ted Jensen)

BEST UK ARTIST

Architects (Epitaph Records)

BEST INTERNATIONAL ARTIST

Bilmuri (Columbia Records)

BEST UK LIVE ARTIST

Malevolence (Nuclear Blast Records)

BEST INTERNATIONAL LIVE ARTIST

Bad Omens (Sumerian Records)

BEST BREAKTHROUGH LIVE ARTIST

unpeople (SharpTone Records)

BEST UK BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST

PRESIDENT (Atlantic Records)

BEST INTERNATIONAL BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST

The Pretty Wild (Sumerian Records)

BEST ALBUM ARTWORK

LANDMVRKS - The Darkest Place I’ve Ever Been (Arising Empire / Artwork by Guy Mishima)

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