(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.)

JB Brubaker: The morning of Monday, Dec. 7, 2015, began like any other day on tour. I woke up in the top left bunk of the tour bus, which was parked beside the Granada theater in Lawrence, Kan. I rubbed my groggy eyes and grabbed my phone, which had been charging beside me. Clicking on my texts messages, I was a bit surprised by how many I had received. The first one I opened was from my wife, Katelyn. The text read, "Have you heard the news?!?!" 

"No, what's going on?" I replied.

My phone rang immediately. I picked up and Kate blurted out, "Baby! You were nominated for a GRAMMY!"

She told me the nomination was for Best Metal Performance, specifically for our song "Identity." She told me how proud of me she was and how special this was for the band. She told me I should call my mom and my sisters to tell them the news.

My bandmates and I have been playing in August Burns Red for over 13 years. We've accomplished a lot of milestones that we didn't expect to achieve when we began playing in our drummer Matt's parents' garage back in 2003. A GRAMMY nomination wasn't even on our radar. If asked about a GRAMMY nomination we would've said, "Metal bands like ABR don't get nominated. That's for the Metallicas and Slayers of this genre."

Brent Rambler: I love the fact that Recording Academy voters chose the song "Identity" because it does have such a positive message and a lot of fans have talked about how much the song means to them.

Lyrically, the song is about how you'll never really be happy in life unless you make the choice to be yourself. Specifically, the song refers to someone coming out of the closet after 19 years. When I heard their story I thought about how hard and terrifying that must have been, but then also the gigantic weight that must have been lifted off their shoulders. Making the decision to live your life how you see fit is so important to growing as a person, and no one should have to feel like they can't be who they truly are because of other people's opinions and judgements.

Brubaker: But here we are. August Burns Red are GRAMMY nominees. We are humbled and honored by the achievement, and we're so grateful to have had the opportunity to play music together for all these years. Monday, Dec. 7, 2015: not just a typical day on tour after all, but rather, one I will never forget.

(August Burns Red — comprising lead guitarist JB Brubaker, bassist Dustin Davidson, drummer Matt Greiner, lead vocalist Jake Luhrs, and rhythm guitarist Brent Rambler — are nominated for Best Metal Performance for "Identity," which is featured on 2015's Found In Far Away Places. The album topped Billboard's Top Christian Albums chart and peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard 200.)

Tune in to the 58th Annual GRAMMY Awards live from Staples Center in Los Angeles on Monday, Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS.