NOMINEES:
"The Enemy Inside" by Dream Theater
"God Is Dead?" by Black Sabbath
"In Due Time" by Killswitch Engage
"Room 24" by Volbeat (feat. King Diamond)
"T.N.T." by Anthrax
WHO SHOULD WIN: "In Due Time" by Killswitch Engage
We can get rid of Anthrax right out of the gate. The thrash icons covered AC/DC's "T.N.T." and hardly changed a note. The fact that a cover was nominated, much less one as boring as this, is sad. We would have been more accepting if King Diamond had been the one covering "T.N.T." with his absurd falsetto, but instead he appears with Volbeat on "Room 24," a compilation of Danish heavy metal stars. Black Sabbath put together a solid comeback album, but "God Is Dead?" wasn't its star track.
Dream Theater and Killswitch Engage both crafted worthwhile tracks, but we're going with Killswitch's simple, catchy "In Due Time" versus the technical complexity of "The Enemy Inside" (which itself is relatively simple for Dream Theater). "In Due Time" grabs the listener with its chorus, which borders on anthemic, and guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz adds a nice solo, a relative rarity for the metalcore group.
WHO WILL WIN: "God Is Dead?" by Black Sabbath
Sabbath has history on its side, and we do/don't just mean that because it's an old band. Following 2004, every Best Metal Performance Grammy except one has gone to a group formed before 1985. Although modern metal fans listen to music featuring blast-beat drumming and screamed vocals, the committee sees fit to honor the genre's godfathers (although we'll grant Slayer a pass). Sabbath is also nominated for Best Rock Song (for "God Is Dead?") and Best Rock Album, but those more prominent awards will doubtfully go to such a "dark" band. Expect Best Metal Performance to go to Sabbath as a consolation prize.
