Kerrang! Awards 2013: Rock veterans Iron Maiden and Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor honoured

The biggest names in rock and metal descended on London last night for Kerrang! magazine’s annual awards, with British acts flying the flag in the capital by taking home some of the top gongs.

Scottish rockers Biffy Clyro won best album for Opposites, while Surrey pin-ups You Me At Six bagged best event for their Final Night of Sin show at Wembley Arena last December.

Veterans of the UK rock scene were also honoured, with heavy metal legends Iron Maiden receiving the Kerrang! Inspiration award and Newcastle black metal pioneers Venom being named this year’s Kerrang! Icon.

Brian May and Roger Taylor from Queen accepted the Services to Rock award from comedian Al Murray, with May opening his acceptance speech with “Badger, badger badger…” before paying respects to front man Freddie Mercury, who died of AIDS in 1991.

Tributes were paid throughout the night to rockers who were no longer around to see out their legacies – Pantera’s Phil Anselmo said that he knew his former band mate ‘Dimebag’ Darrell Abbott, who was shot dead on stage in 2004, would be “so damn proud” as the groove metal band were inducted into the Kerrang! Hall of Fame.

Slayer’s guitarist, Kerry King accepted the Legend award on behalf of the thrash metal band, only a month after founding member Jeff Hanneman died of alcohol-related liver failure, assuring the audience that “Slayer is alive and strong”.

In his opening speech, Kerrang! editor James McMahon choked back tears to propose a toast to the magazine’s iconic photographer Ashley Maile, who died earlier this year after a battle with liver cancer.

The awards, hosted by Mark Hoppus of pop punk stadium-fillers Blink-182 and Anthrax’s guitarist Scott Ian at the Troxy, was not all sombre reflection, though, and Sid and Clown from Iowa shock metallers Slipknot crawled across tables to storm the stage fully clad in masks and jumpsuits to present the best British band award to Sheffield metalcore group Bring Me the Horizon.

All Time Low took home the award for best international band, and guitarist Jack Barakat personally thanked Hoppus for letting the Maryland pop punk quartet “rip off your band for the last 10 years”.

Chicago’s Fall Out Boy, who reformed earlier this year to release their latest album Save Rock and Roll, won best single for ‘The Phoenix,’ in a category that they were nominated twice.

Here are the main winners on the night:

Best Event - You Me At Six: The Final Night Of Sin

Best British Newcomer - Lower Than Atlantis

Best International Newcomer - Of Mice & Men

Best Video - Pierce The Veil, King For A Day (featuring Kellin Quinn)

Best Single - Fall Out Boy, The Phoenix

Best Album - Biffy Clyro, Opposites

Best Live Band - Black Veil Brides

Kerrang! Inspiration - Iron Maiden

Kerrang! Icon Award - Venom

Best International Band - All Time Low

Best British Band - Bring Me The Horizon

Kerrang! Hall of Fame - Pantera

Kerrang! Service to Rock - Queen

Kerrang! Legend - Slayer