Ozzy Named President Of Heavy Metal

As an antidote to the US Presidential election, Loudwire conducted their own poll to find an official President Of Heavy Metal.

16 rock legends were in the running for the title, but Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne won after defeating Rob Zombie and Rob Halford in the final two rounds.

The final round was a close call, with both Ozzy and Zombie running real campaigns on their Facebook pages to rally up votes at the last minute. Ozzy finally pulled through with 50.82% lead, compared to Zombie's 49.18% of 100,000 votes.

Here's the results of each round:

Congratulations to Ozzy Osbourne, the new President of Heavy Metal!

Do you agree with the vote? Who would you nominate as President? Place your nominations and votes in the comments!

Comments

[mastodude13]

Ozzy hasn't done anything good since Randy died, but then again neither has Halford and I don't think Rob Zombie has ever done anything good. But thats just my opinion.

Randy Blythe, James Hetfield, Phil Anselmo, and Matt Pike would all be better choices.

[DisarmGoliath]

Painkiller came out a long time after Randy died, and is easily one of the best Priest albums... just sayin' I'm surprised Lemmy, and Rob Zombie, got further than Hetfield but I disagree with the rest of your choices as they've had an influence for far less time and are much less renowned in general.

[gkex]

Yeah, Ozzy is a solid choice, but the Rob Zombie vs. Lemmy is just stupid. I men, Rob beating Lemmy kinda makes me think this was a survey taken mostly by fanboys. This was probably due to the electoral college.

[EL1XER]

Pretty sure Phil Anselmo has had a huge influence on metal, and is pretty renowned. What modern metal band hasn't been influenced by Pantera? And considering Pantera were a hair metal band before Phil pushed them to a heavier sound, I'd say he's pretty influential. Phil is up there with Hetfield.

[Schwimmy]

Phil didn't push them to that sound. They were going in that direction and hired Phil because he was as well.

[mastodude13]

Yeah but at least those guys are a little more relevant right now. I would definitely take Tony Iommi over Ozzy too.

[Scourge441]

You're surprised Lemmy got further than Hetfield? Really?

[DisarmGoliath]

Clearly a lot of people here would disagree with me, based on some of the responses, but I'm not much of a Motorhead fan and think Metallica were far more influential to metal than Motorhead, and Hetfield is far more renowned - just my opinoin; each to their own

[Scourge441]

FWIW James Hetfield would probably tell you that Metallica wouldn't exist without Lemmy.

I agree that Metallica were directly influential to more bands than Motorhead, but you can definitely pick up the Motorhead influence filtered through other things (Venom, all of the Stockholm death metal scene, most early thrash etc.).

[gkex]

Yeah, this is true. None of the big thrash bands would exist without Lemmy. Check out that documentary that came out last year about Lemmy. "49% Mother*****, 51% SOB. It's great and Hetfield, Anthrax, many others are in it. Also, Lemmy drives a Panzer tank around in a German uniform so yeah ... pretty cool.

[Vinson]

So....without Lemmy, Hetfield, Mustaine, Ian, King and the rest would be playing what? POP music?

[whiplash944]

I don't view Hetfield as being as iconic a frontman as Lemmy.

[gypsyblues7373]

I gotta disagree, I'm a longtime Ozzy (and Randy) fan and I think "No More Tears" is one of his best albums.

[Seaborgium6]

I thought Ozzmosis was also a great record.

[thechaostheory]

I just like Randy

[gkex]

Live tribute album is raw

[thechaostheory]

Do you have a link to it? I want to hear it! And I don't want to get tributes from talentless losers on YouTube (no offence to anyone who has done a tribute. Sometimes they're good, but most the time they suck)

[Revocati0n]

Dude rob Zombie's Hellbilly Deluxe Vol. 1 is a ****ing killer album

[gypsyblues7373]

Hellbilly Deluxe Vol. 1 is a great album...I just don't think of Rob Zombie as "metal", at least not in the same way as Ozzy, Halford, Lemmy, etc., although I'm a fan.

[UniformRecon]

There's actually an interview with Metallica in which the band unanimously decides that Kirk would be President if they had their own country.

[introvert10]

I'd have voted for Lemmy if I had known about this thing. Pretty cool idea regardless of winners/losers. Should do this every year.

[whiplash944]

Doesn't Lemmy actually play a president in a movie?

[Obama FTW]

Bat head eating contest for who becomes President of USA: Ozzy vs. Obama

[Mkorn]

i don't have anything against ozzy but i really doubt his voice is the best in heavy metal bands

[derek8520]

Well this is pointless.

[I.shower.naked]

What about Randy Blythe?

[introvert10]

What about him.

[gkex]

He killed a guy on accident once and got arrested. Did you know that?

[introvert10]

Yes I did.

[ZeligtheAxMan]

Da fuk!?

[introvert10]

Confused?

[vppark2]

Ya cuz everyone from UG so did not know that and we all live in a cave...

[RC52190]

Why does it seem like no one has any sense of, or appreciation for witty sarcasm and satire on this site? Get the sticks out of your asses, guize. It's clear he's just trololololling.

[jakka93]

I think he'd rather stay as the prince of darkness.

[geor4ge]

lemmy gettin knocked out by zombie????? WTF!!!!! ****in hell, lemmy should be vice prez or prz,,,,,

[Camron62\m/]

i was thinking the same thing, Rob Zombie beat Lemmy?

[bloodfart9611]

I wanna know how Rob Zombie beat Bruce Dickinson...

[latinromans]

he may be a good pilot, but sadly his campaign management skill weren't exactly up to the test.

[RC52190]

Because it really matters that much.

[RC52190]

That's @ geor4ge

[gray96]

I would've said Tony Iommi, but I guess that he's the god of metal.

[Nero Galon]

The hell, not hating on Rob Zombie AT ALL but Bruce Dickinson is waaaay better?

[jannick]

exactly. i totally agree with the winner. but how did bruce not make it to the finals?

[gray96]

Dio wasn't even in the running? Do my eyes deceive me?

[goremetal22]

He's dead

[gkex]

True.

[gray96]

Your point being...?

[Tarsplitter]

Hard to be a president when you're dead.

[Biggilton]

Not hard to be VP, though. I'm pretty sure Dick Cheney has been dead for over 20 years.

[gray96]

Point taken. Thought that it was an all-time contest.

[Jazz1992]

Can't be president if you're already God.

[thechaostheory]

What about a ZOMBIE?

[cip 123]

i'm sorry but how the hell does Rob Zombie beat Lemmy and Bruce Dickinson?

[SleepFan]

I bet if you asked Rob himself, he would even say Lemmy or Bruce.

[Joss_Frusciante]

And Mustaine beat Serj Tankian.

[thrill606]

How is Mustaine beating Tankian surprising?

[MountApple]

I think either Lemmy or Hetfield should have won.

[milanio]

Aslemo and Maynard are too low in my opinion

[BuriedAlive7x]

Keenan was the best choice here!!

Tool rules!!!

[vinnym86]

What?? President of Metal ? ...I don't think so, buddy. Tool does "rule" and I love them, but seriously... no.

[RJDfan666]

I pooped today.

[SocksAndTrees]

Congratulations man.

[jannick]

picture. or no poop

[thechaostheory]

I might've been high, but when I read that, I had to laugh. Pointless, but you're probably very proud of yourself, and due to that, I am too! *Hands over TOP POOP medal*

[Absolute Rock-O]

This just made my day.

[guitargodwannab]

Oderus???? wow thank god he got his ass kicked in the first round.....horrible choice to even be nominated

[vinnym86]

Well you gotta have your party-radicals

[Lacebad]

Rob halford for ****in president of metal!

If Lemmy ever played in metal band, I reckon it'd be him.

[Macejko]

This just show which generation conquer internet these days and that has absolutely NOTHING to do with good music. Randy Blythe ? Rob Zombie ? Corey Taylor ? and those other guys I havnt even heard of ? How dare they compare those ****s with Great Artist like Halford, Dickinson or Hetfield ? And Blythe won over BRUCE DICKINSON ? These ****ing posers have no idea about true Heavy Metal....arg, this is just pile of shit

[Morphogenesis26]

Judas Priest, Ozzy, Maiden, and Dio all released very poor albums that were really only slightly heavier Pop Rock.

[gray96]

Says the guy with the At the Gates avatar. Just because it's not the heaviest thing ever doesn't mean that it's not metal.

[Morphogenesis26]

It's not that they weren't the heaviest thing ever, but that comparison is more to do with how they were closer to Pop music. I made it because many people consider these bands, like Macejko, as "good music" that is so amazing that no one should go against it, despite it being very plain.

[gray96]

"Plain"? I'm sorry, but Priest, Ozzy, Maiden, and Dio are far less monotonous than a lot of the stuff from the '90s and 2000s. Don't get me wrong, I like some of the newer stuff, too, but much of it sounds the same.

[Morphogenesis26]

At The Gates, Eucharist, Anacrusis, Demigod, Summoning, Dismember, Vehemence, Enthral, Dissection, Kamelot, Dominia, Pharoah, Atheist, Cynic, Edge Of Sanity, and many other bands from the 90's onward did very interesting things and have much more replayabillity than Priest and them.

This has become a matter of opinion now, though.

[Skuzzmo]

How you can list those bands and then say they have more re-playability than Priest and the like beggers belief....

I'm not directly slagging these bands because I used to listen to a lot of them but after a while it just gets "samey". Once I got past the novelty of how hard/fast/ they play I found them pretty much a one trick pony....which is probably why I stopped listening to it....

Give me Priest, Maiden, Dio, Ozzy over that kak any day of the week

But, of course, that is just my humble opinion....

[Morphogenesis26]

Thing is, for most of those bands, they all do something interesting, some examples are in order! :3

At The Gates - Utilized very interesting harmonies and song structure that made each song seem like an album on it's own.

Vehemence - Crafting brutal Death Metal with an extremely accessible sense of melody that give them such a unique sound and vibe that I have no heard mimiced yet.

Those are 2, but I don't want to spam the comments section. My point is that these bands had more to their sound then the early popular Metal bands had, since they generally could get away with being catchy with memorable riffs and be done with it.

This is probably going down an "agree to disagree" path, but I strongly suggest listening to some of those bands.

[Skuzzmo]

As I said previously I've already listened to a lot of those bands and grew bored of them because ultimately I find a lot of their song writing to be repetitive. I think I just out grew that type of music..it's not me any more.

But fair play m8, as long as you enjoy your music, whatever it is, it doesn't really matter what other people say.

All the best buddy

[gray96]

Indeed, it has become a matter of opinion. To tell you the truth, actually, Kamelot's The Black Halo holds a higher place in my heart than any Priest or Maiden record, so there you go, I guess.

[Crimson.King]

So what exactly is the President of Heavy Metal's job?

[a7xrocker201]

Ya know... President stuff...

[reignofrock]

Zombie beat Lemmy? WHAT?

[Insanity ninja]

Zombie beat Bruce? WHAT?

[DexterF]

This article is about what ?

[NightProwlerr]

Awesome finally a president that makes sense!

[jor_guitar]

Really, it's Iron Maiden that makes it metal, not only Bruce. He is a remarkable singer, much better than Zombie, but Zombie is much and much heavier.

[Insanity ninja]

Music isn't just about how heavy it is.

[CoolMcAwesome]

Ozzy? really? I'd think that Hetfield would win this by default. he is basically the Ron Jeremy of metal. w/e

[gray96]

Max Cavalera wasn't in the running, either? Yeah, he may not have a great voice, but there probably wouldn't be guys like Corey Taylor or Randy Blythe without him.

[vppark2]

very true

[vitriolis]

Κεenan for President!
Also, how on earth can Lemmy lose to anybody?

[TheHaminator]

How in the hell did Rob Zombie beat Bruce Dickinson?

[FiddleJohnny]

Halford for Vice President!

[GenerationKILL]

Ozzy Osbourne was in Black Sabbath AND had an iconic solo career.

Enough said.

He's in ONE MORE iconic band than the rest of those candidates.

[zomgguitarz1234]

Dave mustaine was in metallica AND megadeth.

Dio was in black sabbath and had an iconic solo career and they didn't even put him up there. Ever wonder where that horns thing came from?

[aids9999]

How the [expletive] did Bruce Dickinson and Lemmy lose???

[alexw1020]

I would've had Bruce winning the whole thing if it were up to me, but this is still a pretty cool concept. All hail the President of Darkness!

[morbidguitar]

isnt limp bizkit the king of heavy metal? Does that mean ozzy takes orders from him?

[vppark2]

Not sure if troll or just stupid.

[bangerhead5]

That is crazy as hell that Rob Zombie beat BRUCE DICKINSON, let alone with all the Maiden fans that would vote for Bruce in a heartbeat he still lost..

[voodoochile000]

i should really cut down on my caffeine consumption.

[SOAD_SoG]

I'm sorry but Phil Anselmo kicks everyone's ass in that list.

[ToolCreedence]

Definitely top 2

[MultiM]

loudwire poll's are so stupid actually forget about ozzy but once arch enemy lost against chelsea grin and that was so stupid

[toasty333]

How the hell did Rob Zombie beat Lemmy AND Bruce Dickinson?

[swave75]

Al Jorgensen...very pleased at least he made the list.

[krakkrox]

All fair, except how well Rob Zombie did in light of the competition(Bruce down in the first round? AND mustaine n lemmy? wtf?) But all in all Ozzy does for metal i feel what elvis did to rock, so nuff said.

[ProtoCosmos]

Can anyone imagine if Dave Mustaine became President of anything at all ever?

[mralexforbes]

Why is Metallica such a bad word nowadays?!?!?! They were the leading pioneers of the thrash movement and i think they deserve a little more respect! It is like, if anything has anything to do with metallica is gets hated. C'mon Mr Hetfiend deserves to be more acknowledged that Rob Zombie... well so do a lot of the greats in that list

[the5thhorseman]

Tony Iommi?

[gypsyblues7373]

Funnily enough, I have that "Ozzy for president" logo on a T-shirt.

[Eclectic Lizard]

Hetfield or Lemmy!

[6-String_Madman]

With all respect to the Motorhead front-man, Lemmy is not even metal to begin with.

I would have wanted to see the Hetfield Vs. Mustaine in the final round.

[Kueller917]

They should do a President of Punk. It would be quite ironic.

[hames jetfield]

Rob Zombie beat Bruce Dickinson, Dave Mustaine and Lemmy...dafuq...?

[Metalxorxdie]

Randy Blythe ftw

[Enforcer64]

Why isn't Tony Iommi up there? He is basically the inventor of Metal.

[blooddrunk]

Should be Iommi. Ozzy didnt give a crap about sabbath when he was wasted/drugged up.

[Burkz]

How could rob zombie beat bruce dickinson,lemmy and mustaine?

That's just weird IMO

[DRAGONSFIRE123]

A election I actually care about!

[5MinutesAlone]

How Zombie beat Lemmy and Dave Mustaine is beyond my comprehension.

[archangels]

I am absolutely shocked that Mustaine beat Serj in the very first round. Apparently the voters didn't know how whacked out Mustaine is.
Then agian, I would vote for Serj Tankian for president of the world, so maybe I'm just biased.

[goddamncanadian]

I'm just happy that Maynard beat Corey Taylor.

But Zombie over Lemmy? Really?

[SrThompson]

Lemmy has to be vicepresident at least.

[bogdanminut]

Technically Ozzy is British so he would institute monarchy and proclaim himself king, then dissolve the Parliament... and probably make himself immortal.

[Izzy-Sweet]

Well, he WOULD make himself immortal if he wasn't already.

[Teabag of Truth]

... how did Rob Zombie beat Bruce Dickinson, Dave Mustaine and Lemmy?!?!?!? That makes no sense whatsoever

[dogmax]

seriously... rob isnt even that good at all.

the only thing cool about him is his name "zombie". but even that is kinda lame-o.

[fattychronic]

Ozzy may be president but halford is the metal god

[Skuzzmo]

Amen!

[Anjohl]

In Metal God We Trust.

[JustStayDown90]

Lemmy over Hetfield? Zombie over Mustaine? What the hell is wrong with you people?

[berserker22712]

OZZY is the prez, the godfather, the Don, hell OZZY IS GOD!!

[distoare]

Rob Zombie made it that far in this "election"? Beating out Bruce?! I do not get that. Where the **** is DIO? He belongs here! RIP.

[uninsane_guitar]

Bullshit. Lemmy should be president.

[Diran123]

All hail supreme overlord Lemmy

[Alpha_Wolf]

Lame

[DjangoUnstrung]

This isn't real news and I give absolutely no ****s. Everyone should just leave this site and let it die.

[elove89]

Everything about this makes me want to shit into my pants.

[kashmar88]

I love that Ozzy won, but the simple fact that Rob Zombie beat Bruce Dickinson... disgusting. Also, it would have been nice to see Maynard make it a little farther, but against Ozzy... that's a tough call.

[red_hot_chili18]

Tony Iommi needs to be in this list, in fact, who came up with this list?

[sage76]

Because you are not allowed to be god and king at the same time. And Iommi is the god of metal.

[Djashbaa]

What?! How did Corey Taylor lose so soon?!

[NHECOS]

Maynard or Hetfield should have won.

[the chalky one]

I don't know why this is considered "new", we all knew Ozzy was the president of heavy metal.

[breakinslash]

Should've been Bruce Dickinson

[TheExterminator]

I know Loudwire sucks and their users/fans suck even worse.. But has Heavy Metal fallen so far that a hack like Rob Zombie could be liked more than Bruce Dickinson and Lemmy? What is wrong with the people who voted for this thing?

[brndnstffrd]

Ozzy/Hetfield 2016

[hollowskull100]

How in the hell did Rob Zombie beat Lemmy Kilmister?!