Considering their legacy and influence in metal music, you would believe that British heavy metal legends Judas Priest are a no-brainer for induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Surprisingly, however, they still didn’t manage to get in despite being eligible since 1999.
In a recent interview with NME, Judas Priest’s frontman Rob Halford was asked about the band’s omission from the Rock and Roll HOF and decided to give a rather diplomatic answer.
“I’ve always admired it,” said Halford. “The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame isn’t any different from those other institutions they have in America, like the one for football, where you’ll always get some people complaining one player deserves to be there over another. Emotions always run high whenever these awards take place.”
Judas Priest were in consideration for induction several times so far, and even finished fifth in the fan vote in 2019. Despite this, however, the group didn’t make the final cut that included Doobie Brothers, Nine Inch Nails, T-Rex, Depeche Mode, Notorious B.I.G., and Whitney Houston.
While taking a moderate approach when discussing the issue, Halford said that he believes there should be more metal bands in the Hall Of Fame and that Judas Priest deserves to be one of them.
“I think if any metal band deserves to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it’s Priest and beyond that, there needs to be more metal there because there’s not enough,” he added.
While the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame remains open to a lot of different genres, the metal bands have had a hard time getting in. This led to a number of widely popular and influential bands being routinely left out despite having years of eligibility. Besides Judas Priest, the list includes Iron Maiden, Motley Crue, Bad Company, Slayer, and Megadeth.
