9 Times The Grammy Awards Chose Its Metal Poorly
2. 2005: Motorhead - Whiplash
By 2005, the nu-metal wave had long since hit the high water mark and retreated back to obscurity, allowing the likes of Hatebreed, Killswitch Engage and Cradle of Filth to potentially receive their due.
However, veteran earsplitters Motorhead walked out with the gold this time around and while their success in itself was rightful, the fact that one of heavy metal’s most influential acts won the award on the strength of a Metallica cover song is uncomplimentary.
Furthermore, the fact that of Motorhead’s four nominations (third up to this point), two of them were for covers of Metallica songs, the other of which being “Enter Sandman,” which seemingly relegates Motorhead’s legacy to a footnote in that of Metallica’s as far as the Academy is concerned.
And yet somehow, this isn’t the worst instance of a cover song winning the award.