The Grammy awards have been notorious for their obliviousness to what was actually going on in music, going back at least to how long it took them to catch on to this whole “rock ‘n’ roll” thing. And they’ve been particularly lacksidasical in recognizing metal performances, with the first award in the hard rock/metal category in 1989 going to … Jethro Tull.

Since 1990 there has been a separate category for best metal performance, with winners including Metallica, Nine Inch Nails, Soundgarden, Rage Against the Machine, Tool, Black Sabbath, the Deftones, Korn, Motorhead, Slipknot and Slayer. This seems to reflect on ongoing uncertainty about where precisely the line between metal and hard rock should be drawn, but it’s still definitely an improvement.

Here are the nominees (with video where I could find them) for best metal performance for tonight’s Grammy awards, all strong contenders (though one could certainly argue that some great performances from the past year were overlooked):

Nothing Left
As I Lay Dying
Track from: An Ocean Between Us
[Metal Blade Records]

Never Ending Hill
King Diamond
Track from: Give Me Your Soul…Please
[Metal Blade Records]
(audio only)

Aesthetics Of Hate
Machine Head
Track from: The Blackening
[Roadrunner Records]


Redemption
Shadows Fall
Track from: Threads Of Life
[Atlantic]

And, last year’s winners (and Satan’s favorite band):

Final Six
Slayer
Track from: Christ Illusion
[American Recording/Columbia]

UPDATE: And the Grammy goes to … Slayer! Not my favorite, but you have to give them props for basically single-handedly inventing the genre of death metal back in the 80s.