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A visual history · Grammys

The winners who defined Metal Performance.

34 ceremonies, 1990–2025. 23 different winners. The longest run belongs to Metallica, with 3 straight wins.

Who won most recently?
Gojira, Marina Viotti and Victor Le Masne in 2025 for Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!).
Who has won the most?
Metallica, 7 wins (1990, 1991, 1992, 1999, 2004, 2009, 2024).
  1. Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!)Gojira, Marina Viotti and Victor Le Masne
  2. 72 SeasonsMetallica
  3. Degradation RulesOzzy Osbourne featuring Tony Iommi
  4. The AlienDream Theater
  5. Bum-RushBody Count
  6. 7empestTool
Years explored
1990–2025
Different winners
23
Category leader
Metallica · 7
About this record

Best Metal Performance was first awarded in 1990, so it does not run the full 1959–2025 window.

It was not presented in 2012 or 2013, when hard rock and metal shared one award, and it returned when that award was split again for 2014.

2000–2025

24 ceremonies

19902025

01 / The reigns

Slayer set the longest run.

The timeline turns the 2000–2025 record into a sequence of reigns. Longer bands reveal sustained runs; color shows the credited label.

  1. 01
    Metallica3 wins
  2. 02
    Black Sabbath2 wins
  3. 03
    Slayer2 wins
  4. 04
    Tool2 wins
Each band is one winner’s reign. Wider means a longer run. Colored by label; hover for details. Outlined blocks are years the award was not presented.
Black Sabbath'00
Deftones'01
Tool'02
Korn'03
Metallica'04
Motörhead'05
Slipknot'06
Slayer'07–'08×2
Metallica'09
Judas Priest'10
Iron Maiden'11
'12–'13not awarded
Black Sabbath'14
Tenacious D'15
Ghost'16
Megadeth'17
Mastodon'18
High on Fire'19
Tool'20
Body Count'21
Dream Theater'22
Ozzy Osbourne featuring Tony Iommi'23
Metallica'24
Gojira, Marina Viotti and Victor Le Masne'25

02 / The power map

Who stood behind the winners?

Sony leads the recorded label credits with 4 wins, 2000–2025. The full distribution shows whether power was concentrated or shared.

Sony4 wins
Warner4 wins
American1 win
Blackened1 win
Century Media1 win
EMI1 win
Wins by label
  1. Sony417%
  2. Warner417%
  3. American14%
  4. Blackened14%
  5. Century Media14%
  6. EMI14%
  7. Other1250%

03 / The near misses

The names that kept coming back without the ending they wanted.

Counting nominations in this category only, 2000–2025.

Most nominated, never won this award

  1. 01
    Ministry
    5 noms
  2. 02
    Lamb of God
    4 noms
  3. 03
    Killswitch Engage
    3 noms
  4. 04
    Rob Zombie
    3 noms
  5. 05
    Stone Sour
    3 noms
  6. 06
    Anthrax
    2 noms

Most losses in this category

  1. 01
    Slipknot
    8L · 1W
  2. 02
    Ministry
    5L · 0W
  3. 03
    Lamb of God
    4L · 0W
  4. 04
    Killswitch Engage
    3L · 0W
  5. 05
    Korn
    3L · 1W
  6. 06
    Mastodon
    3L · 1W

04 / The archive

Every year.
Every winner.

The complete reference behind the story, showing 2000–2025. Open any year to see the rest of the field when nominee records are available.

YearWinnerLabel
2025Gojira, Marina Viotti and Victor Le Masne (Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!))
beat 4 others
  • Judas Priest (Crown of Horns)
  • Knocked Loose featuring Poppy (Suffocate)
  • Metallica (Screaming Suicide)
  • Spiritbox (Cellar Door)
IOC/BMG
2024Metallica (72 Seasons)
beat 4 others
  • Disturbed (Bad Man)
  • Ghost (Phantom of the Opera)
  • Slipknot (Hive Mind)
  • Spiritbox (Jaded)
Blackened
2023Ozzy Osbourne featuring Tony Iommi (Degradation Rules)
beat 4 others
  • Ghost (Call Me Little Sunshine)
  • Megadeth (We'll Be Back)
  • Muse (Kill or Be Killed)
  • Turnstile (Blackout)
Epic
2022Dream Theater (The Alien)
beat 4 others
  • Deftones (Genesis)
  • Gojira (Amazonia)
  • Mastodon (Pushing the Tides)
  • Rob Zombie (The Triumph of King Freak (A Crypt of Preservation and Superstition))
Inside Out
2021Body Count (Bum-Rush)
beat 4 others
  • Code Orange (Underneath)
  • In This Moment (The In-Between)
  • Poppy (Bloodmoney)
  • Power Trip (Executioner's Tax (Swing of the Axe) (Live))
Century Media
2020Tool (7empest)
beat 4 others
  • Candlemass featuring Tony Iommi (Astorolus - The Great Octopus)
  • Death Angel (Humanicide)
  • I Prevail (Bow Down)
  • Killswitch Engage (Unleashed)
Tool Dissectional/Volcano/RCA
2019High on Fire (Electric Messiah)
beat 4 others
  • Between the Buried and Me (Condemned to the Gallows)
  • Deafheaven (Honeycomb)
  • Trivium (Betrayer)
  • Underoath (On My Teeth)
eOne
2018Mastodon (Sultan's Curse)
beat 4 others
  • August Burns Red (Invisible Enemy)
  • Body Count (Black Hoodie)
  • Code Orange (Forever)
  • Meshuggah (Clockworks)
Reprise/Warner Bros.
2017Megadeth (Dystopia)
beat 4 others
  • Baroness (Shock Me)
  • Gojira (Silvera)
  • Korn (Rotting in Vain)
  • Periphery (The Price Is Wrong)
Tradecraft/Universal
2016Ghost (Cirice)
beat 4 others
  • August Burns Red (Identity)
  • Lamb of God (512)
  • Sevendust (Thank You)
  • Slipknot (Custer)
Loma Vista
2015Tenacious D (The Last in Line)
beat 4 others
  • Anthrax (Neon Knights)
  • Mastodon (High Road)
  • Motörhead (Heartbreaker)
  • Slipknot (The Negative One)
Rhino
2014Black Sabbath (God Is Dead?)
beat 4 others
  • Anthrax (T.N.T.)
  • Dream Theater (The Enemy Inside)
  • Killswitch Engage (In Due Time)
  • Volbeat featuring King Diamond (Room 24)
Vertigo/Republic
2011Iron Maiden (El Dorado)
beat 4 others
  • Korn (Let the Guilt Go)
  • Lamb of God (In Your Words)
  • Megadeth (Sudden Death)
  • Slayer (World Painted Blood)
EMI
2010Judas Priest (Dissident Aggressor (Live))
beat 4 others
  • Lamb of God (Set to Fail)
  • Megadeth (Head Crusher)
  • Ministry (Señor Peligro (Live))
  • Slayer (Hate Worldwide)
Sony/Epic
2009Metallica (My Apocalypse)
beat 4 others
  • DragonForce (Heroes of Our Time)
  • Judas Priest (Nostradamus)
  • Ministry (Under My Thumb)
  • Slipknot (Psychosocial)
Warner Bros./Mercury
2008Slayer (Final Six)repeat
beat 4 others
  • As I Lay Dying (Nothing Left)
  • King Diamond (Never Ending Hill)
  • Machine Head (Aesthetics of Hate)
  • Shadows Fall (Redemption)
American
2007Slayer (Eyes of the Insane)
beat 4 others
  • Lamb of God (Redneck)
  • Mastodon (Colony of Birchmen)
  • Ministry (LiesLiesLies)
  • Stone Sour (30/30-150)
WEA International
2006Slipknot (Before I Forget)
beat 4 others
  • Ministry (The Great Satan (Remix))
  • Mudvayne (Determined)
  • Rammstein (Mein Teil)
  • Shadows Fall (What Drives the Weak)
Roadrunner
2005Motörhead (Whiplash)
beat 4 others
  • Cradle of Filth (Nymphetamine (Overdose))
  • Hatebreed (Live for This)
  • Killswitch Engage (The End of Heartache)
  • Slipknot (Vermilion)
SPV/Sanctuary
2004Metallica (St. Anger)
beat 4 others
  • Korn (Did My Time)
  • Marilyn Manson (Mobscene)
  • Spineshank (Smothered)
  • Stone Sour (Inhale)
Elektra/Vertigo
2003Korn (Here to Stay)
beat 4 others
  • P.O.D. (Portrait)
  • Slipknot (My Plague)
  • Stone Sour (Get Inside)
  • Rob Zombie (Never Gonna Stop (The Red Red Kroovy))
Epic
2002Tool (Schism)
beat 4 others
  • Black Sabbath (The Wizard (Live))
  • Slayer (Disciple)
  • Slipknot (Left Behind)
  • System of a Down (Chop Suey!)
Volcano
2001Deftones (Elite)
beat 4 others
  • Iron Maiden (The Wicker Man)
  • Marilyn Manson (Astonishing Panorama of the Endtimes)
  • Pantera (Revolution Is My Name)
  • Slipknot (Wait and Bleed)
Maverick
2000Black Sabbath (Iron Man (Live))
beat 4 others
  • Ministry (Bad Blood)
  • Motörhead (Enter Sandman)
  • Nine Inch Nails (Starfuckers, Inc.)
  • Rob Zombie (Superbeast)
Epic