Progressive metal masters Dream Theater have waited a long, long time to hear that they've been nominated for a Grammy Award, but last night, the 26-year wait was put to an end. 'On the Backs of Angels' from their 2011 release 'A Dramatic Turn of Events' put Dream Theater among the nominees for the Best Hard Rock / Metal Performance award.

Dream Theater have expressed their excitement in an official statement on their website: "2011 has been quite an amazing year for us. We watched 'A Dramatic Turn of Events' -- our eleventh studio album -- enter the Top Ten in 14 countries around the world including the U.S. And now we land our first-ever Grammy nomination [for the song "On The Backs of Angels" in the Best Hard Rock / Metal Performance category]. It’s the icing on the cake -- we’re honored and thrilled, no doubt about it."

The post continued, "It took us a while to receive this Grammy attention -- and we’ve done it on our own terms musically, so it feels particularly sweet. What keeps you going as a musician is the love and support from the fans--they are always there for us on this crazy adventure. So we give them a big shout-out as we celebrate our Grammy nomination. See you all on the road … and let's all keep dreaming big.”

Dream Theater have some tight competition in the race for the Grammy, including Megadeth's 'Public Enemy No. 1,' Mastodon's 'Curl of the Burl,' Foo Fighters' 'White Limo' and Sum 41's 'Blood in My Eyes.' The 54th annual Grammy Awards ceremony takes place on Feb. 12.

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