Halestorm score surprise Grammy win

Of the six artists nominated for the 2013 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance (the first year metal and hard rock have been combined), it was Revolver magazine faves Halestorm who won the trophy, “Love Bites (So Do I)” beating tracks by heavyweights Iron Maiden, Anthrax, Megadeth, Lamb of God, and Marilyn Manson. While there was a fair bit of bellyaching online in the wake of the announcement early Sunday evening, it was hardly as scandalous a win as, say, Jethro Tull in 1989.

In fact, for a category that has always seemed more preoccupied with rewarding veteran bands based on career merit rather than the quality of their nominated work, it’s nice to see voters casting their gaze forward and selecting an act that happened to be the first band with a woman singer to top the active rock chart. Is Halestorm representative of the very best heavy metal and hard rock had to offer in 2012? Of course not, and the Grammys will likely never get it right. But guess what, “Love Bites (So Do I)” is a great song – The Strange Case Of… has grown on me mightily over the past 10 months – so good for the voters for thinking outside the box, and congrats to the band.

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