Metal Monarchy
SLAYER WINS ANOTHER GRAMMY
Slayer won their second Grammy in the "Best Metal Performance" category last night. They were nominated for "The Final Six," a bonus track on the 2007 limited edition re-release of Christ Illusion.
Slayer's Tom Araya
The song, written by Tom Araya and Jeff Hanneman, is about a fictional armageddon. The track made its debut last July as the "Single of the Week" on MySpace where it has accumulated some 750,000 plays, an astonishing number for a song that has received no commercial airplay.
A visibly nervous Araya accepted the award, stating, "Thank you very much. I don't know what to say. This is our second time. I have to thank Sony, first off, for reissuing the record and putting this new song on the album, and now I'm here again -- we are here again, actually. Most of all, I'd like to thank Rick Rubin [producer and head of American Recordings], who's been with us, been there for us for the past 23 or 24 years. Thank you. [I'd also like to thank] my wife, my two kids; Sandra (wife), Ariel and Tommy (kids). They're here with me. Of course, [I'd like to thank] my manager, who's been with us for a good 20 years now. Well, thank you very much. Thank the Academy. Thank you."
While it is nice to see Slayer recognized for their achievements, I think every self-respecting metalhead recognizes that the Grammies are basically worthless, especially when it comes to the metal category. The selection of winners is clearly based on name recognition and fame rather than the actual music. This is not to badmouth Slayer in anyway -- they are my favorite band -- but "Final Six" is obviously not one of their better songs.
I also think it is pathetic that after almost four decades of existence the music industry still fails to regard heavy metal as a worthwhile genre. The award -- as has been customary -- was given before the ceremony even went on the air. Considering that bands like Metallica, Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath are among the top-selling artists of all time, you would think that at some point the prejudice would break down. It would seem that the Academy is afraid that metal bands will embarass them onstage.
After all, we're just a bunch of drunk neanderthals right?
In any case, congratulations to Slayer who continue to reign after 25 years in the biz.
Slayer's Tom Araya
The song, written by Tom Araya and Jeff Hanneman, is about a fictional armageddon. The track made its debut last July as the "Single of the Week" on MySpace where it has accumulated some 750,000 plays, an astonishing number for a song that has received no commercial airplay.
A visibly nervous Araya accepted the award, stating, "Thank you very much. I don't know what to say. This is our second time. I have to thank Sony, first off, for reissuing the record and putting this new song on the album, and now I'm here again -- we are here again, actually. Most of all, I'd like to thank Rick Rubin [producer and head of American Recordings], who's been with us, been there for us for the past 23 or 24 years. Thank you. [I'd also like to thank] my wife, my two kids; Sandra (wife), Ariel and Tommy (kids). They're here with me. Of course, [I'd like to thank] my manager, who's been with us for a good 20 years now. Well, thank you very much. Thank the Academy. Thank you."
While it is nice to see Slayer recognized for their achievements, I think every self-respecting metalhead recognizes that the Grammies are basically worthless, especially when it comes to the metal category. The selection of winners is clearly based on name recognition and fame rather than the actual music. This is not to badmouth Slayer in anyway -- they are my favorite band -- but "Final Six" is obviously not one of their better songs.
I also think it is pathetic that after almost four decades of existence the music industry still fails to regard heavy metal as a worthwhile genre. The award -- as has been customary -- was given before the ceremony even went on the air. Considering that bands like Metallica, Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath are among the top-selling artists of all time, you would think that at some point the prejudice would break down. It would seem that the Academy is afraid that metal bands will embarass them onstage.
After all, we're just a bunch of drunk neanderthals right?
In any case, congratulations to Slayer who continue to reign after 25 years in the biz.
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