The Grammy Awards Announce Metal Nominees

The Grammys just announced nominees for the 57th annual awards show. The nominees for the best metal performance are below. 

ANTHRAX - "Neon Knights" from Ronnie James Dio - This Is Your Life

SLIPKNOT – "The Negative One" from .5: The Gray Chapter

TENACIOUS D – "The Last In Line" from Ronnie James Dio - This Is Your Life

MASTODON – "High Road" from Once More 'Round The Sun

MOTÖRHEAD – "Heartbreaker" from Aftershock

My opinion? I don't understand Tenacious D in this category, nominating cover songs is weak and I think Slipknot should win. Simple as that. What do you think? 

The awards show is set for February 8, 2015. 

Comments

[Metalboy!]

Anthrax is always good for a cover. But, please, no Slipknot!

Tenacious D is killarious, but really isn't that just a Jack Black sideproject, no disrespect to the duo.

Mastadon is too prog. The closest thing to real Rock & Roll is Lemmy! Has he won before? C'mon, he deserves its! He's a legend and he's earned it, as well as his roadtorn partners in crime, that is MOTÖRHEAD!!!

Of course, if they want a real list for him to compete with but can still be beat, where are our REAL beloved bands who are still making music, i.e. Tom Kiefer... Or was that last year... Real R'n'R isn't even in the radar here, save for Motörhead!

No competition for the KILLmeister! What a cryin' shame!

[Ace Steele]

For me, it'd be a tossup between Motorhead & Mastodon, & I've not heard either track.

I agree that nominating cover versions is weak.
Surely there had to be something worthy released this year?
What was it? All the way around, these choices suck.

How about,Steel Panther's "P*ssywhipped"? OR Tesla's "mp3"? ,

[Ace Steele]

For me, it'd be a tossup between Motorhead & Mastodon, & I've not heard either track.

I agree that nominating cover versions is weak.
Surely there had to be something worthy released this year?
What was it? All the way around, these choices suck.

How about,Steel Panther's "P*ssywhipped"? OR Tesla's "mp3"? ,

[Rita]

And Judas Priest is where?????????

[Jeff]

Has to be Slipknot. The new CD is great

[Dj]

I have a strong hatred for the Grammys. Ivlikecevery band here besides Mastadon so the nominees are cool. Regardless that I'm a huge Slipknot fan Ibtjonk Lemmy deserves to win because he is the definition of pure, raw, real, in your face, rock n roll. Again, I think the Grammys are a complete joke. I try and be respectful and open minded to many genres, but for the most part the Grammys are a three hour corporate asswipe festival. Love Eddie Vedder's speech when Pearl Jam won many moons ago.

[Dj]

Damn I can't type.
*i like every band here besides Mastadon.
*i think Lemmy deserves to win

[fletch]

Does it matter? I'll still wake up (god willing) and continue to prove on. Never lost any sleep over the steelers or eagles, either, cause we'll shelter on. The more things change.

[Mike]

Mastodon should win,, but for their song "The Motherload".

This list just goes to show how clueless the Grammy idiots are.

At least they didn't nominate Slayer again this year.

[fletch]

And now onto people I can't stand. Psyche! Be well people. I'm going to bed...in a few.

[Him]

Have to agree with Ace and Mike, it should be a tie--given the list which, as others note, is pretty weak given what has been released in the past year--between M and M: metal in your mouth, not in your hands. That said, if I had to break it I would go in favor of the newer band.

Dj, why do you dislike Mastodon? Just curious. Metalboy!, too prog? Really?!!? Like Iron Maiden prog? I had to fit that dig in.

Motorhead is Motorhead. They exist in a realm unto themselves, surviving (if less so now) on sheer force of will. So Metalboy! wins on that point . . . historically worthy and showing contemporary vigor in spite of recent setbacks (and a far sight better than winning for a cover of Metallica in 2005 . . . a point that Allyson and Ace also bring up as being a rather strange way to choose an award when there is new music to choose).

Mastodon was one of those new bands that surprised me by sounding (and I just heard them at first, without any context) like something vaguely old in a good way, but also strangely new in a good way. I liked the first song I heard, but couldn't place them. Then I found out: they weren't a band I had heard before.

If the only thing this rather stupid award does is remind people or, heaven forbid, turn people on to the fact that bands like Motorhead, Mastodon, and Anthrax exist, so much the better.

In my opinion, Tenacious D don't deserve to be listed as they--talented though Black and Gass are--are weaker in comparison to M and M and other bands not nominated and are also doing a cover. Still, they are the folk metal flip-side to Steel Panther and deserve support, doing more to remind people of Dio's greatness than any Anthrax cover ever will.

Slipknot? This is just a pathos grab, trading off the band's unfortunate loss of Gray and their rise from the ashes (or so Taylor suggests). They have nominated numerous times before and won once but, so far as I care, stopped producing anything that would count as ground-breaking after _Iowa_. They are, to be perfectly honest, a place-holder that allows the Grammy's to claim some sort of "edgy" vibe (likely the same reason Mastodon is included, even if the merits in that case are far easier to defend if defending them made a lick of sense).

If the RnRHoF is an out of touch circle jerk (not in the Morris and Hetson sense) for Wenner and his friends, the Grammy's are the RnRHoF's grandparents. Industry tested and industry approved, in an age when both the test and the approval count for less and less.

So get ready, folks. Your kids and grandparents are going to find out what really metal is all about because it is being tube-fed to them by an organization that was founded when gramophones were in vogue, when the Red Scare was still in play, and when people didn't worry about getting mugged near the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In the words of Anthrax (borrowed, of course): ". . . like clapping with one hand."

[Metalboy!]

Rita's got it right if Priest is eligible. I just saw them fearlessly perform several new songs from their latest album and also picked it up. They're THE Best Metal Band alive, and like Motörhead, are legendary and well deserving of the award.

[Him]

The review, Metalboy1? The review?

[Eric]

I'd go with Tenacious D, just because I've always thought Grammy's were a joke (at least since the "Jethro Tull" incident). They are so irrelevant, so at least would be funny to see Jack Black win.

If were going "serious" would say Mastodon. I'm not a huge fan but do think they are doing some interesting new stuff with metal genre.