TRIVIUM frontman Matt Heafy spoke to Consequence Of Sound about the band's first-ever Grammy nomination. The Florida-based act is up for the "Best Metal Performance" award for the song "Betrayer", off its eighth studio album, 2017's "The Sin And The Sentence".

"To hear we were getting not only a Grammy nomination but a nomination for that song makes me so proud, because it has screaming and key changes and is so extreme," Heafy said. "We're an intense band, 75% to 80% of the time, so it was such an honor to see that."

Heafy said that he was surprised to learn that TRIVIUM got a nod from The Recording Academy.

"We've always been the band that's never gotten awards," he said. "When you go to a venue backstage, you see posters and pictures up of every band that has played there. We're the band that never has their photos up there and never has the magazine covers and has never been credited as the greatest band ever. That's with the exception of in the U.K. when 'Ascendency' came out, and we were on every magazine cover and got tons of press. So, when the Grammy nominations were coming out, we weren't even thinking about anything happening for us. I got an email from our manager saying, 'You're getting a Grammy nomination for 'Betrayer'.' That song has so much to it and is the epitome of what TRIVIUM is really about, so to get a nomination for that song means even more."

Asked why he thinks the Grammy committee finally recognized TRIVIUM, Heafy said: "Maybe it's that we're finally being recognized for the work we've put in, because it's been a difficult, uphill battle for us, as it is for all bands. We came out so young. This year marks our 20th together, and I'm 32. I think when we first came out, we were so young, and we were saying that we wanted to be the biggest metal band in the world, and that got fans hyped up, but I think other bands didn't like that. That's the weird thing about metal. In hip-hop and pop and rap, it's cool to be big and flashy and say, 'We want to be the biggest band we can be,' but in metal, it's frowned upon. I don't think anybody should hold back. I think everyone should be the best at what they do. Why is that something you should hide from? If you've wanted to be the biggest metal band since you were 12 years old, you should strive for that."

The 61st annual Grammy Awards will be held on on February 10 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and will broadcast live on the CBS television network at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Also vying for the "Best Metal Performance" trophy are BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME, DEAFHEAVEN, HIGH ON FIRE and UNDEROATH.