The Ronnie James Dio Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by Xbox LIVE, will go to prog-rock pioneers RUSH, who will release their highly anticipated 19^th studio album, Clockwork Angels, this year on Roadrunner Records. (Previous honorees include hard-rock and metal legends MÖTLEY CRÜE, Lemmy Kilmister of MOTÖRHEAD, and Ozzy Osbourne.) The award will be presented by Jack Black and Kyle Gass of TENACIOUS D, whose new record, Rize of the Fenix, hits stores on May 15. Rush’s Neil Peart commented, “We are honored and delighted to receive this honor—especially because it will be presented by Jack and Kyle. Our ‘lifetimes’ are not over yet, and we dearly hope our ‘achievements’ are not either, so I suppose you could say that to us this is the ‘So Far, So Good’ award.” Of presenting the award, Black commented, “Rush was the most impressive band, musically, when I was just learning about rock. Weirdly, they got your body moving in interpretive-dancing ways, but it was still aggressive. Their stuff was just so complex and so tasty!”

Right before the official start of the show, PANTERA will celebrate the 20^th anniversary of their landmark album, Vulgar Display of Power, with the worldwide debut of their first music video in 12 years, for the previously unreleased song, “Piss,” from the Vulgar recording sessions. PANTERA drummer Vinnie Paul commented, “‘Piss’ is the only unheard complete Pantera track in existence. It was recorded at the same time as Vulgar Display of Power and it’s 100 percent Pantera with attitude and our signature groove! After mixing it, I can’t believe it didn’t make the record! So it’s 2012 and 20 years later and new Pantera music has been delivered. Cheers!”

Adding to the festivities, The 2012 REVOLVER GOLDEN GODS AWARDS SHOW will feature one-of-a-kind special performances and collaborations. Newly announced performers include KORN, who are nominated for multiple Golden Gods awards. “Revolver rocks!  We are psyched to be nominated for Album of the Year—looking forward to rocking the house, too!” said Korn frontman Jonathan Davis. Heavy-metal heavyweights TRIVIUM have also been added to this jam-packed bill, as well as legendary guitar shredder Yngwie Malmsteen, who will open the show, playing “The Star Spangled Banner,” alongside a full military color guard. Finally, TWISTED SISTER’s Dee Snider is set to appear with previously announced performers BLACK VEIL BRIDES for a performance of his band’s ’80s anthem “I Wanna Rock.”

The live concert will also include MARILYN MANSON, who appears on the cover of the latest issue of Revolver, available online here; iconic GRAMMY-winning guitarist SLASH featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators; EVANESCENCE; and SIXX:A.M., featuring Nikki Sixx of MÖTLEY CRÜE, acclaimed rock producer and songwriter James Michael, and DJ Ashba of GUNS N’ ROSES, in their first performance in almost four years.

Also on April 11, The GRAMMY Museum, next door to Club Nokia, will open its new exhibit Golden Gods: The History of Heavy Metal. Mounted in coordination with Revolver, the exhibit will feature never-before-displayed artifacts including instruments, stage props, handwritten lyrics, clothing, and costumes, alongside original album artwork, posters, and live-performance and interview footage. The exhibit will also feature a variety of interactive displays.

Cast your vote now in these 11 fan-voted categories (Best Guitarist, presented by Epiphone^®; Best Drummer, presented by Drum Workshop^®; Best Vocalist,  presented by Rockstar Energy Drink^®; Album of the Year, presented by Marshall Amplification^®; Best Live Band, presented by Samson/Zoom^®; Most Metal Athlete; Comeback of the Year, presented by Eagle Rock Entertainment^®; Riff Lord, presented by EMG Pickups^®; Paul Gray Best Bassist, presented by Dean Markley^®; Best International Band, presented by Musicians Institute^®; and Most Dedicated Fans) at the Golden Gods site: GOLDENGODSAWARDS.COM.  The ballots are open until April 1.

For more information on tickets for the REVOLVER GOLDEN GODS AWARDS, please click here.

In honor of the hugely anticipated Big Four concert at Yankee Stadium in New York City on September 14,

A day before Anthrax join the other members of the Big Four—Metallica, Slayer, and Megadeth—onstage at Yankee Stadium on September 14, the group will release its first album in eight years, Worship Music (Megaforce). While interviewing the band’s drummer, Charlie Benante, for a feature that will appear in the November/December issue of Revolver, we asked him to pick his favorite drummers. Before answering, he asked, “Five favorite drummers, it doesn’t have to be in one field—it could be from anywhere right?” His answers may surprise you.

Neil Peart, Rush
The first drummer that, still to this day, I get inspiration would probably be Neil Peart. I mean, what other drummer writes drum fills that people play air drums to, you know what I mean? He’s still one of my favorites.

Alex Van Halen, Van Halen
I just love Alex Van Halen, always have. He just has a signature sound. When I hear it, it’s like, Well, that’s Alex Van Halen, you know?

Jerry Gaskill, King’s X
He always kind of just makes my head spin a bit. He’ll throw in these kind of syncopated fills that just always get me, you know, it’s like “Ah, God that’s great,” you know. There’s a song on Gretchen Goes to Nebraska where he just lays this pattern down, it’s called “Burning Down,” he just does this pattern for the rest of the song and just the way he does it, he doesn’t push it, he doesn’t pull it—it’s just beautiful. It’s like a drum machine, but it’s not, because it’s human and it’s very Jerry Gaskill.

Lars Ulrich, Metallica, and Dave Lombardo, Slayer
Some of these Big Four drummers have a place here, too,’cause we all were coming up together in this whole movement, this whole thrash movement—me, Lars, and Dave. And I think the three drummers always had something that was different from the other. I love the way Lars would sync in a song and I love the way Dave’s aggression in the song propelled the song. So I’d have to say those two together.

Lars Ulrich

Dave Lombardo

Ringo Starr, The Beatles
The first drummer I ever heard was Ringo. And Ringo’s one of those drummers that, Ringo started off as a fucking killer drummer—I mean, he just had that swing, everything. Later on the Beatles’ albums, he kind of lost it a bit for me. He just kind of become very lazy. But those first few Beatles records, man, where he would just rock it, he’s fucking awesome. So I would say those are my five that I still dig.