The surprise isn't that ANTHRAX's 'I'm Alive' received a Grammy nomination last night for Best Rock/Metal Performance; the surprise is that it comes more than a year after the track's September 13th, 2011 release on the band's Worship Music, which was named was of the best metal albums of 2011 by numerous media outlets, and provided the band with the rock'n'roll comeback story of the year.

This is the fourth Grammy nomination for Anthrax - Charlie Benante - drums, Scott Ian and Rob Caggiano - guitars, Frank Bello - bass, Joey Belladonna - vocals.

"I was watching THE DAVE MATTHEWS BAND perform when I received a text saying 'Congrats on the Grammy nomination!'," said Benante. "Huh? I had lost all hope of ever being nominated for another Grammy, but I guess I was wrong. We put so much hard work into Worship Music, and I am so honored to be nominated with a group of bands that have also sustained the test of time like the legendary Maiden and Megadeth. Heavy metal is a force, it has fans that range from six to 66, and I'm so proud to be a part of this force... it's in all of us."

IRON MAIDEN, HALESTORM, MEGADETH, LAMB OF GOD and MARILYN MANSON have also been recognized for the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, which will be held in Los Angeles, CA on Sunday, February 10th at the Staples Center.

Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance nominees include:

Iron Maiden - 'Blood Brothers' (En Vivo!)

Halestorm - 'Love Bites (So Do I)' (The Strange Case Of...)

Anthrax - 'I'm Alive' (Worship Music)

Megadeth - 'Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)' (TH1RT3EN)

Lamb Of God- 'Ghost Walking' (Resolution)

Marilyn Manson - 'No Reflection' (Born Villain)

For the complete list of Grammy nominees go to this location.

Nominations for the 55th annual Grammy Awards were announced on December 5th by The Recording Academy and reflected an eclectic mix of the best and brightest in music over the past year, as determined by the voting members of The Academy. For the fifth year, nominations for the annual Grammy Awards were announced on primetime television as part of "The Grammy Nominations Concert Live! — Countdown To Music's Biggest Night", a one-hour CBS entertainment special broadcast live for the first time ever at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. The 55th annual Grammy Awards will be held on "Grammy Sunday," Sunday, February 10, 2013, (8:00-11:30 p.m., live ET/delayed PT) at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

"The Grammy Awards process once again has produced a diverse and impressive list of nominations across multiple genres," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. "This year's nominees truly represent an exceptional and vibrant creative community that exemplifies some of the highest levels of artistry and excellence in their respective fields. Combined with the fifth year of our primetime nominations special, we're off to an exciting start on the road to Music's Biggest Night, the 55th annual Grammy Awards, on February 10."

This year's Grammy Awards process registered more than 17,000 submissions over a 12-month eligibility period, October 1, 2011 to September 30, 2012. Grammy ballots for the final round of voting will be mailed on Wednesday, December 19 to the voting members of The Recording Academy. They are due back to the accounting firm of Deloitte by Wednesday, January 16, when they will be tabulated and the results kept secret until the 55th Grammy broadcast.

The 55th annual Grammy Awards are produced by AEG Ehrlich Ventures for The Recording Academy. Ken Ehrlich is executive producer and Louis J. Horvitz is director.