2019 Grammy Watch: Best Metal Performance

CMN’s team of music writers is previewing the 2019 Grammy Awards. The 61st annual ceremony will take place Sunday, February 10 in Los Angeles. You can see all of our Grammy coverage here. 

Between the Buried and Me: Condemned to the Gallows – Last years’ double release of the group’s Automata record further proves how Between the Buried and Me remains one of the most consistent metalcore bands. This odyssey of an opener shows glistening guitar over gut-wrenching screams and an orchestral sound that brings the tune to a far more epic level.

DeafHeaven: Honeycomb – This track and the band’s latest release in general has been somewhat divisive amongst the black metal community with its emphasis on a love story and its instrumental restraint. However, this track’s experimentation with shoegaze influence with the traditional black metal shrieks works wonderfully over its 11 glorious minutes. If you metalheads haven’t heard this yet, it’s one of the best black metal offerings that you didn’t even know you wanted.

Trivium: Betrayer – While this is a cut from Trivium’s 2017 release, the time passed has helped this track age like a fine wine. This is pure concentrated metalcore with vocalist Matt Heafy switching from throat-punishing shouts to his trademark smooth singing delivery. Even though Trivium has always been consistent with their unique brand of metalcore, this song shows that Heafy and co. can go onto bigger and better things with time.

High On Fire: Electric Messiah – Lyricist Matt Pike has said that this song and its parent album were meant as a tribute to Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister. In that case, Lemmy would proud to hear this dirty distorted version of Motorhead’s signature snarl. This is the sound of Motorhead if they played with a bit more grime, as well turned the heaviness up to 1000.

Underoath: On My Teeth – This previous Christian hardcore outfit broke its 8 year silence last year, and this song has been severely underappreciated. These guys blend their hardcore roots with alternative leaning choruses and an almost industrial tone to their production. This is a diamond in the rough that you should not miss out on.

Most Likely to Win:

Betrayer. Trivium’s last record was stellar for metal audiences and would be a safe bet for any fan of metal because of its eclectic appeal.

Who Should Win:

High on Fire. They certainly don’t bring anything new to the table with this release, but the lyrics and the sonic assault it bludgeons the listener with is too good to resist. If they took home the Grammy, it would be another testament to the greatness of Lemmy, and his influence that continues to inspire.