Judas Priest snubbed by Rock & Roll Hall of Fame again

Motörhead, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest – what is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of them? All-British bands, formed in the 70s and all three of them spearheaded the phenomenon which came to be known as the "New wave of British heavy metal". Another common trait shared by these heavy metal gods is that shockingly, none of them has been inducted into the prestigious Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. 

Gripping the music industry in the 70s, 80s and early 90s by its throat, it was them, who shaped the spectacle we now know as heavy metal – a thick and heavy music, characterised by highly amplified distortion, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats and overall loudness.

Despite of their contributions to music and side-by-side acclaiming several awards worldwide, it is quite ironic that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame always finds a way to snub the giants of heavy metal and hard rock.

The full list of this year's inductees includes Depeche Mode, the Doobie Brothers, Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails, the Notorious B.I.G. and T-Rex, with Jon Landau and Irving Azoff receiving the "Ahmet Ertegun" Award jointly.

Judas Priest and Motörhead were among the nominees alongside Thin Lizzy, the MC5 and Soundgarden. The Rock Hall's annual "fan ballot" did little to sway the opinion of its voting body, as Dave Matthews Band received the most votes, followed by Pat Benatar. The Doobie Brothers — the only inductees within the Top five — came in third, while Soundgarden and Judas Priest rounded out fourth and fifth place, respectively. 

This is the second time Judas Priest have been nominated, previously failing to receive the Rock Hall's vote for the Class of 2019. The MC5 were nominated for the fifth time, including the last four straight years. Soundgarden and Motorhead were both nominated for the first time in 2019 and as for Iron Maiden, they are yet to receive a single nomination. 

Following the announcement of this year's inductees, Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner blasted the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame after the iconic metal band failed to the make the 2020 induction class. 
"These institutions are founded on what these guys helped create and to not be included is a total joke," the guitarist tweeted hours after the inductees were announced. 

When one fan suggested Judas Priest and Iron Maiden could get inducted in the same year, Faulkner chimed in, "And both decline the induction. That's metal!"

Back in 2018 when Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickenson was asked if Iron Maiden should be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the 61 year old replied "absolutely" before adding, "I actually think the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is an utter and complete load of bollocks, to be honest with you. It's run by a bunch of sanctimonious bloody Americans who wouldn't know rock 'n' roll if it hit them in the face."

A detailed look into this year's class displays a complete distaste for heavy metal by an inept voting body and an outright failure to recognise the genre as historically important and their contributions worldwide.