Music

Tenacious D are apparently the Grammys' best metal performers of the year

by Tyler Munro

It’s been 26 years since the Grammy Awards started officially recognizing heavy music with an award and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences still hasn’t quite figured things out.

Marred since the day they snubbed Metallica’s …And Justice for All for Jethro Tull’s flute rock opus Crest of the Knave, the Grammys’ heavier side has seen curious choices over the years, like leaving Slayer’s Jeff Hanneman out of their in memoriam last year (and Gwar’s Dave “Oderus Urungus” Brockie this year), but none were perhaps as puzzling as last night’s decision to give Tenacious D the trophy over Mastodon, an actual band that plays heavy metal music.

Tenacious D certainly embody the heavy melt spirit, but awarding them the trophy for their comedic tributes to the genre is like giving “Weird Al” Yankovic’s “Amish Paradise” the Rap nod over Bone Thugs-N-Harmony back in 1997.

Weirder still, they won for their cover of “The Last in Line,” a cover of metal legend Ronnie James Dio’s 1984 classic. Fittingly, and in true Grammys fashion, Dio was never recognized for his contributions to music in his lifetime; Tenacious D won what Dio, Heaven & Hell and his standout contributions to Black Sabbath never could. And in winning, Tenacious D not only beat Mastodon, Mötörhead, Slipknot and Anthrax, but also artists who were snubbed altogether, like Behemoth, Agalloch and countless others.

To their credit, Tenacious D’s tribute is, while smirking and silly, without their usual layer of irony. Granted, the recorder (???) solo at the end is as silly as it gets, but their appreciation of Ronnie James Dio has been well documented.

Still, you serious Grammys? Mastodon got all dressed up and everything!