US Band Knocked Loose performs on stage during the Heavy Metal Rock Festival Copenhell on … [+] Refshaleoeen in Copenhagen, on June 16, 2022 (Photo by Torben Christensen / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP) / Denmark OUT (Photo by TORBEN CHRISTENSEN/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images)
Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images
The Recording academy has announced the 2025 Grammy nominees for best metal performance on Friday and there are a surprising number of great nominees in the mix as well as a couple puzzling ones. For starters, it’s important to note that the Grammys don’t have the best reputation when it comes to representing rock and heavy music.
Over the last several decades the Recording Academy has been very inconsistent when it comes to embracing modern metal and rock bands, particularly bands that have actually garnered critical acclaim within the scene.
Back in the late 80s, Metallica’s infamous Grammy snub was the first sign that the Grammys were arguably not very competent when it came to metal and heavy music.
Fast forward to the early 2000s-2010s, it’s fair to say that the Grammys have come a long way since then, with nominees such as Slipknot, Ghost and High On Fire proving the Recording Academy has been paying closer attention to the genre, although there’s still plenty of room for growth.
Great Modern Nominees
This year’s nominees however, do show some considerable growth for the Recording Academy with regards to its consideration and appreciation toward heavy music — modern bands Gojira, Spiritbox and Knocked Loose have all been nominated for best metal performance at the 67th annual Grammy Awards.
Not only are each of these bands extremely relevant within today’s metal and extreme music scenes, but they’ve each been nominated for songs that have garnered considerable attention and critical acclaim over the last year. Additionally, Judas Priest and Metallica who are both well established as a heavy metal legacy bands at this point, were also nominated for Best Metal Performance.
Puzzling Nominess
Upon first glance it’s definitely a bit strange to have Judas Preist nominated alongside these other modern bands, but their latest album 2024 Invincible Shield did receive high praise amongst longtime fans and even modern critics. It’s certainly among the year’s best metal releases, but it’s hard to argue that it would be in the top five.
However, the most confusing aspect of this year’s metal nominees comes from the inclusion of the biggest and arguably greatest metal band around, Metallica.
The fact Metallica is on this list for “Screaming Suicide” simply does not make sense. Regardless of this track being one of the weakest songs on Metallica’s 2023 LP 72 Seasonsthe album/song wasn’t even released within the Grammys own specified eligibility window for it’s 2025 nominees — music released between September 16th, 2023 and Aug. 30th, 2024 was eligible for a nomination, 72 Seasons released back in April of 2023.
Not only should Metallica not qualify for a nomination because of the cutoff window, but 72 Seasons had already received three nominations at the 2024 Grammy Awards.
Three Steps Forwards, One Massive Step Backwards…
While the other metal nominees included in this years Best Metal Performance category are a tremendous step forward for the Grammys, specifically with regards to its respect and consideration for modern heavy music, the inclusion of Metallica feels so arbitrary and undeserved that it takes away from much of the progress shown by the Recording Academy.
Furthermore, if Metallica wins this year for Best Metal Performance it would be a travesty. Not only will it mitigate the growth shown by the Recording Academy, but relevant modern bands Knocked Loose, Spiritbox and Gojira will once again be overshadowed by metal’s legacy bands. Here’s hoping that the Recording Academy does right by the scene and actually gives a win to one of the modern bands among this year’s nominees.
