ALBANY — The first annual Extreme Music Awards were held here at Empire Live on January 13, celebrating heavy music in all its forms by the greater Capital Region’s best bands. A virtual who’s who of metal, punk and hardcore royalty descended on Albany for the event, which featured a stellar lineup of guest presenters and an all-star jam to close out the night.
The EMAs recognized the considerable talent that the Upstate NY Capital Region boasts, in virtually every subgenre of heavy music one can think of. From awards that recognized up-and-coming young bands, to best mosh pit, to lifetime achievement, the Extreme Music Awards honored the full spectrum of talent the region has to offer.
The Winners
· Best Death Metal Band – Skinless
· Best Black Metal Band – Malefic
· Best Doom/Goth/Stoner Band – Gozer
· Best Power Metal Band – Frozen Sun
· Best Prog/Math Metal Band – The Phoenix and the Raven
· Best Hair/Glam/Sleaze Band – The Erotics
· Best Thrash Metal Band – Faced
· Best Grindcore Band – Escuela Grind
· Best Metalcore Band – Downswing
· Best Punk Band – The Hauntings
· Best Hardcore Band – Violent By Design
· Best Hardcore Beatdown Band – Wrong Move
· Best Hardcore Punk Band – Murderer’s Row
· Best Metal Video – Downswing (“Bound To Misery”)
· Best Live Performance – Joe Mansman and the Midnight Revival Band
· Most Brutal Mosh Pit – Invoke Thy Wrath
· Best Merch – Alloy Reign
· Album of the Year – Blackbraid – (Blackbraid II)
· Lifetime Achievement Award – Bob Riley (Murderer’s Row)
· Best New Band – Flatwounds
· Best Veteran Band – The Erotics
· Most Influential Musician – Jason Bittner (Overkill)
Mike Valente, Upstate Black ‘N Blue Productions: “I am utterly humbled by the amount of talent and comradery that I experienced. Not one drop of ego in the place. Everyone was smiling The team that I assembled for this is bar none, the easiest and most professional group that I have worked with. Thank you to my team, the folks at the venue — Empire Live, who also should not go without credit — the metal community, the presenters, who were all top notch, the sponsors, and all the nominees and bands of the Tri-State area.”
Ralph Renna, Capital Underground/93. 9 WABY FM: “It took five forces in the local music scene to get it together: myself, Mike Valente, Art Fredette, Fuzz and Brendan Manley. It also took the support of the music scene that we’ve all been involved in for more than 30 years, which got right behind us. I honestly thought there was too much hype behind this whole thing; that it wouldn’t come off the way we expected. It exceeded all our expectations, and we are already working on 2025. We don’t do this for a paycheck. We do this for the love of heavy metal, hardcore and punk rock in Upstate NY.”
Brendan Manley, 518scene.com: “After some eight months of hard but extremely rewarding work, the Extreme Music Awards 2024 arrived in all its glory, and will go down as a legendary, definitive moment in Upstate NY music history. All I saw that evening was smiles — from my fellow organizers to the presenters and performers, to the nominees, and most importantly, among the audience — which is why the EMAs were created from the very start. That is mine and 518scene.com’s metric for success, and I couldn’t be prouder or honored to be a part of this truly amazing team and event. I hope everyone is ready for next year!”
Fuzz, That Fuzzing Rock Show: “Sitting back a day later and reflecting on this weekend has put a massive smile on my face. The five of us who worked on this all had the same goal in mind: Put on an award show that celebrates the talent of the extreme music scene, the way it should be celebrated; fairly, and correctly. We hit the bullseye dead center. I could not be prouder to be involved with such an amazing event. The amount of people saying ‘thank you’ to us is staggering. They all get this response from me. ‘We didn’t do anything but give a platform for greatness to be recognized. You and your peers put in countless hours making your music and delivering it to the people in the 518 and beyond. I appreciate your kind words, but all the thanks go to all of you talented motherfuckers who keep this scene’s heart beating.’ I’m also hearing a lot of ‘you guys will never be able to top this year’s show,’ to which my response to all of these comments has been the same: ‘Hold Our Beers.’”
Art Fredette, RadioradioX.com The Xperience Monthly: “The Extreme Music Awards proved that heavy music is alive and well. The entire event was full of positive energy and great comradery. Everything about the show was top notch: the crowd, the presenters, the performances, and the acceptance speeches. I have been kicking around the 518 scene for decades and I have never felt what I did that night. I thank Mike, Fuzz, Brendan and Ralph for making me part of the team and next year is going to be even better. A big nod of thanks and appreciation goes out to Empire Live and their staff. Cooperation makes things happen. Thank you to everyone who supported, you guys are the best. Onward to Extreme 2025!”
The Extreme Music Awards was the conception of Mike Valente of Upstate Black N Blue Productions, who then assembled the team of RadioRadioX, Capital Underground, That Fuzzing Rock Show and 518Scene.com. All five of these entertainment media forces have joined together to bring the inaugural Extreme Music Awards show to life and give recognition to the most extreme music acts in the 518 Capital Region of Upstate NY.