Jackson couldn’t help but notice that three-fifths of the list of current Grammy nominees for Best Metal Performance consists of Jackson-wielding bands. That’s 0.6 percent of all nominees, which is pretty impressive, really. And that would be, more fully, Best Metal Performance for solo, duo, group or collaborative performance, with vocals, singles or tracks only.
Five metal acts are in the running, three of which are well-known for having one or more Jackson-playing artists. These three are Iron Maiden, nominated for “El Dorado” from 2010 album The Final Frontier; Lamb of God, nominated for “In Your Words” from 2009 album Wrath; and Megadeth, nominated for 2010 single “Sudden Death,” the band’s first release with bassist David Ellefson following his return to the band this year.
The remaining two nominees are Korn, nominated for “Let The Guilt Go” from 2010 album Korn III: Remember Who You Are; and Slayer, nominated for “World Painted Blood” from the 2009 album of the same name.
The 53rd annual Grammy Awards ceremony and telecast is scheduled for Feb. 13, 2011, in Los Angeles.