Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance

Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance
"72 Seasons" by Metallica is the most recent recipient
Awarded forQuality performances in the heavy metal music genre
CountryUnited States
Presented byThe Recording Academy
First awarded1990
Currently held byMetallica, "72 Seasons" (2024)
Websitegrammy.com

The Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for works (songs or albums) containing quality performances in the heavy metal music genre. The Grammy Awards is an annual ceremony, where honors in several categories are presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".[1] The ceremony was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards.[2]

The Recording Academy recognized heavy metal music artists for the first time at the 31st Annual Grammy Awards (1989). The category was originally presented as Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental, combining two of the most popular music genres of the 1980s.[3] Jethro Tull won that award for the album Crest of a Knave, beating Metallica, which were expected to win with the album ...And Justice for All. This choice led to widespread criticism of The Recording Academy, as journalists suggested that the music of Jethro Tull did not belong in the hard rock or heavy metal genres.[4][5] In response, The Recording Academy created the categories Best Hard Rock Performance and Best Metal Performance, separating the genres.

The Best Metal Performance category was first presented at the 32nd Annual Grammy Awards in 1990, and was again the subject of controversy when rock musician Chris Cornell (lead vocalist for the band Soundgarden) was perplexed by the academy's nomination of the band Dokken in this category.[6] Metallica won in the first three years. The awards were presented for the song "One", a cover version of Queen's "Stone Cold Crazy", and the album Metallica. During 2012–2013, the award was temporarily discontinued in a major overhaul of Grammy categories; all solo or duo/group performances in the hard rock and metal categories were shifted to the newly formed Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance category. However, in 2014, the Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance category was split, returning the Best Metal Performance category and recognizing quality hard rock performances in the Best Rock Performance category.[7]

The award goes to the artist. The producer, engineer and songwriter can apply for a Winners Certificate.[8]

Metallica holds the record for the most wins in this category, with a total of seven. Tool has received the award three times. Black Sabbath, Nine Inch Nails, Ozzy Osbourne and Slayer have each received the award twice. The band Ministry holds the record for the most nominations without a win, with six, while the band Megadeth holds the record for most nominations before their first win, winning on their 10th nomination. Poppy is the only female solo artist to be nominated in the category, 30 years after the establishment of the category.

  1. ^ "Overview". The Recording Academy. Archived from the original on January 3, 2011. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  2. ^ "Grammy Awards at a Glance". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 9, 2012. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  3. ^ Pareles, Jon (February 23, 1989). "Grammys to McFerrin and Chapman". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 18, 2013. Retrieved December 14, 2009.
  4. ^ Hoffmann, Frank, ed. (2005). Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound. Vol. 1 (2 ed.). CRC Press. p. 542. ISBN 978-0-415-93835-8. Retrieved December 11, 2009.
  5. ^ Holden, Stephen (February 14, 1990). "The Pop Life". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 18, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2009.
  6. ^ Britt, Bruce (February 17, 1990). "It's time again for the Grammy award gripes". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Block Communications. Retrieved December 14, 2009.[permanent dead link‍]
  7. ^ "The Recording Academy Elects New National Officer and Approves Continuing Evolution of Grammy Awards Categories at Spring Trustees Meeting". Recording Academy. June 4, 2013. Archived from the original on June 12, 2013. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  8. ^ "Grammy Blue Book (edition 2021)" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-06-10. Retrieved 2020-06-13.