Legendary British heavy metal band Iron Maiden has earned its second Grammy Award nomination for the “The Wicker Man,” the opening track on 2000’s hit album Brave New World, which is up for the Best Metal Performance award. Their previous nomination was for “Fear of the Dark” in 1994.

The Recording Academy (formerly the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences) announced the nominations for the 43rd annual Grammy Awards on Wednesday, January 3, 2001. The ceremony will be held Wednesday, February 21, 2001, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The event will be televised live by CBS.

Brave New World, released by Sony Music imprint Portrait/Columbia Records, is the first studio album featuring the 6 man lineup of vocalist Bruce Dickinson, guitarist Dave Murray, guitarist Adrian Smith, guitarist Janick Gers, bass guitarist Steve Harris and drummer Nicko McBrain.

“The Wicker Man” — co-written by Smith, Harris and Dickinson — is four and a half minutes of blistering, heavy metal with a catchy chorus that immediately sticks in the listener’s memory. The song was partially inspired by an old movie of the same name.

“We’ve never followed trends, but we’ve definitely tried to set them in the metal world. Iron Maiden is out to prove what real heavy metal is all about and that songwriting ability, instrumental ability and singing ability are important.,” said Dickinson. “I suppose it’s nice and flattering to be nominated for a Grammy because that means at least some people in the music industry recognize the quality of your music, but in the end it’s not really that important. In our book it has always been what the fans think that counts”

Besides Iron Maiden’s “The Wicker Man,” the other Best Metal Performance nominees include: “Elite,” Deftones; “Astonishing Panorama Of The Endtimes,” Marilyn Manson; “Revolution Is My Name,” Pantera; and “Wait And Bleed,” Slipknot. The eligibility year for the 43rd annual Grammys is recordings released from October 1, 1999, through September 30, 2000.