JUDAS PRIEST Frontman Says Winning GRAMMY Was 'A Very Surreal Moment'

JUDAS PRIEST frontman Rob Halford spoke to AOL's Noisecreep about his band's victory in the "Best Metal Performance" category in the pre-telecast ceremony at the 52nd annual Grammy Awards, which was held on January 31 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. JUDAS PRIEST was nominated for the track "Dissident Aggressor", from the band's 2009 live album "A Touch of Evil: Live". Halford and the band's drummer, Scott Travis, accepted the award at the event.

"The metal section is at the very end, so you're sitting there for three hours and 20 minutes," Halford said. "And you've heard somebody go, 'I'd like to thank god, and I'd like to thank Kathy Griffin, and I'd like to thank so-and-so.'"

"It comes to your moment, and your name is there on the big screen — suddenly reality starts swirling around and you get lightheaded and your heart starts racing. They go, 'The Grammy goes to JUDAS PRIEST.' And as you get out of the seat, you don't feel as though it's real.

"This might sound very dramatic, but it's true. It's just a very surreal moment."

In his acceptance speech, Halford said, "The fifth time is the charm," referring to the fact PRIEST had been nominated four previous times and gone home without the award every time. He mentioned that PRIEST have been making metal for 35 years and that they still love what they do. He also remembered to thank all the radio stations and press that have supported the band, and he dedicated the award to all heavy metal fans.

You can watch video of Halford's acceptance speech below.

The nominees in this year's "Metal" category were as follows:

* JUDAS PRIEST - "Dissident Aggressor" (from "A Touch of Evil: Live"
* LAMB OF GOD - "Set to Fail" (from "Wrath")
* MEGADETH - "Head Crusher" (from "Endgame")
* MINISTRY - "Señor Peligro" (from "Adios...")
* SLAYER - "Hate Worldwide" (from "World Painted Blood")

Only albums released between October 1, 2008 through August 31, 2009 could be considered for this year's awards.

The Grammys are determined by 12,000 music industry professionals who belong to the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences.

A complete list of Grammy nominees can be found at this location.

Video of Halford's acceptance speech:

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