This year’s Grammy nominations are pretty tough competition with 3 of the 5 tracks for Best Rock Song lasting over 5 minutes, each and all are hard rock epics that are as awesome as they are monstrous. Can Foo Fighters beat the competition? Well, the Grammys has been very kind to both the Foo Fighters and Metallica in past years, but the other nominees may have a chance too. You can check out Alternative Nation’s article on Chris Cornell’s “The Promise,” which is also nominated for a Grammy, by clicking here.
“Run” — Foo Fighters (Foo Fighters songwriters)
Foo Fighters have the tremendous lead single “Run” from Concrete and Gold, as their Grammy nomination. After a soft intro, it punishes your ears like almost no other song of their career. The rhythm just pounds into your head while Dave Grohl sings and screams. Grohl continues his over 20 year run of excellent melodies for Foo singles, but this is even harder with guitars that can perk up even the biggest Grindcore fans. The Foos are veterans at dynamics, and they slow the song down at just the right moments to keep it intriguing.
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“Atlas, Rise!” — Metallica (James Hetfield & Lars Ulrich, songwriters)
With a fantastic double album Hardwired…To Self Destruct, and so many Grammys under their collective belt, they are the Foo Fighters’ toughest competition with “Atlas Rise!”, a song that plays like so many of their memorable tracks. Metallica have been more in-your-face since Death Magnetic, and feel just as rejuvenated on this, with intense guitar soloing and a complex rhythm and main riff. The guitar soloing outdoes Foo Fighters, but the songwriting and arrangement can’t match Dave Grohl’s mastery. Perhaps a better choice for their representation would have been “Spit Out the Bone”, a song that has an even catchier riff that may equal the great riffs from “Run”.
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“Blood In The Cut” — K Flay (JT Daly & Kristine Flaherty, songwriters)
Kristine Flaherty or K Flay is definitely the underdog here edging out songs like Green Day’s “Bang Bang” and Linkin Park’s “Heavy” with “Blood in the Cut”, a song from her 2nd album that has an industrial rock vibe and a more modern edge to it. To be honest, it doesn’t deserve the nomination with so many other better rock tracks that don’t rely on so many electronics. This could have been in the alternative category, but it doesn’t fit the “Best Rock Song” as well.
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“Go To War” — Nothing More (Ben Anderson, Jonny Hawkins, Will Hoffman, Daniel Oliver, David Pramik & Mark Vollelunga, songwriters)
Nothing More’s “Go to War” sound nothing more than a poor man’s Foo Fighters, despite their talent and dedication to crisp alternative rock. There is an intensity here, but the band can’t beat the showmanship of Metallica nor Dave Grohl’s vocal power. The song has some nice hooks and perhaps it’s nominee worthy, but ultimately, it can’t compete with “Run”. This would be their first Grammy earned if they can overcome the epics.
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“The Stage” — Avenged Sevenfold (Zachary Baker, Brian Haner, Matthew Sanders, Jonathan Seward & Brooks Wackerman, songwriters)
Avenged Sevenfold go for broke on this metal monsterpiece. A track that has a fantastic video of world history performed by puppets, they have one of the best songs of their almost 20 years with “Stage”. While the melody might not quite match the Foos, the sheer grandiosity of this multi-suite is suited for critics who have finally accepted them as a fine rock band. This would be their first Grammy victory if they won.
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While the Grammys did a decent job with their nominations for Best Rock Song (with the exception of K Flay), it’s most likely the Foo Fighters will rise to the top over Metallica and the others.
