(The Recording Academy asked some of this year's first-time GRAMMY nominees to collect their thoughts and share what it feels like to be nominated for a GRAMMY.)

Well, what can I say? It's an absolute honor for Volbeat to be nominated for a GRAMMY this year. The funny thing is that I was in Europe when the GRAMMY nominees were announced and I basically woke up really early one morning to my phone beeping out of control. I looked at my Twitter page with one eye and the first thing I saw were a bunch of messages saying, "Congrats on the GRAMMY nomination, Rob!" For a minute I thought I was either dreaming or still drunk from the night before. I called my manager right away to see what was going on and then it was confirmed ... Volbeat were indeed nominated for Best Metal Performance for our song "Room 24"(Feat. King Diamond). I was literally blown away!

My phone continued to get flooded with flattering tweets, texts and messages over the next few hours. Out of sheer excitement I decided to read some of the posts that were going up online (this is where it gets funny). I came across a tweet that said something to the effect of "Congratulations Rob on the GRAMMY nomination, I hope Anthrax wins this year." Huh? What? Anthrax? Then I got a text from a good buddy of mine expressing a similar sentiment as well as a 200-word excited message from my dad, so I called my manager back to find out more and as it turns out, I'm actually nominated twice this year! On the last record I did as the lead guitarist of Anthrax (Anthems), we recorded our version of the classic AC/DC song "T.N.T." and this song just so happens to be nominated for a GRAMMY in the same category as Volbeat. To say I was beyond thrilled would be a major understatement … wow!

I'm proud of these two songs for many reasons but I'll just give you the main bullet points. On Volbeat's "Room 24" I got to work with one of my biggest inspirations in the world of heavy metal: the legendary King Diamond! It was a dream to work with him and I think his performance on that track is absolutely outstanding. I remember all of us sitting in the control room in Denmark listening back to his vocals while the chills ran up our sleeves and the lights flickered.

Anthrax's version of AC/DC's "T.N.T." is also very special to me because not only is Angus Young my favorite lead guitar player (along with Eddie Van Halen) but AC/DC were the first band I ever got into as a kid. It was a huge challenge and a helluva lot of fun trying to capture Angus' spirit while still making an attempt to put my own stamp on such a classic song. I think we all felt that way collectively. On top of that, after a decade of blood, sweat, tears, and good times, Anthems would mark my last recording with Anthrax.

I know we're up against some serious heavy hitters for this award but I think it's safe to say: It will be well-deserved no matter who wins the GRAMMY for Best Metal Performance this year. Personally I'd love to take home the award just so I could give it to my mom and dad. After all, they did buy me my first AC/DC record ... and a guitar to go with it!

— Rob Caggiano

(Volbeat — comprising guitarist Rob Caggiano, bassist Anders Kjølholm, drummer Jon Larsen, and vocalist/guitarist Michael Poulsen — are nominated for Best Metal Performance for "Room 24" (featuring King Diamond). The track is featured on 2013's Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies, which peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard 200.)

Come back to GRAMMY.com on Jan. 21 as we hear from first-time GRAMMY nominees the National. Tune in to the 56th Annual GRAMMY Awards live from Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, Jan. 26 from 8–11:30 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. Meanwhile, visit The Recording Academy's social networks on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for updates and breaking GRAMMY news.