The Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance is given to recording artists for works (songs or albums) that feature high-quality heavy metal performances.

The Recording Academy of the United States holds a yearly event to “celebrate creative achievement, technical skill, and overall greatness in the recording business, regardless of album sales or chart position.” The Gramophone Awards were first held in 1958.

Who Won Best Metal Performance?

For “The ALIEN,” song, Dream Theater wins a Grammy for Best Metal Performance.

In the Best Metal Performance category, Dream Theater won for the song “The Alien,” from the album A View From the Top of the World, released in 2021.

(For those unfamiliar, a “performance” is a single song rather than a whole album.) The prog titan had previously received two nominations: for “On the Backs of Angels,” from 2011’s A Dramatic Turn of Events, and “The Enemy Inside,” from 2013’s self-titled album. It was their first victory.

The Foo Fighters, on the other hand, swept the rock categories, taking home awards for Album, Song, and Performance. The three prizes are sad, of course, because they come so soon after the loss of drummer Justin Hawkins.

The complete list of nominations may be seen below.

Best Metal Performance:
Deftones – “Genesis”
Dream Theater – “The Alien”- WINNER
Gojira – “Amazonia”
Mastodon – “Pushing the Tides”
Rob Zombie – “The Triumph Of King Freak (A Crypt of Preservation and Superstition)”