In a new interview with Jeff Gaudiosi of MisplacedStraws.com, ANTHRAX singer Joey Belladonna was asked if he has ever thought about the possibility of his band one day being inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. He responded: “I’ve never had a discussion with anybody about it. I don’t think anybody’s even been… Maybe on their own time, they might have talked to someone or they had a discussion. I’ve never had any. Once in a while, I might have said to somebody, ‘You wonder if, by the time your time is up, are you gonna get in?’ And at the same time, what is the Hall Of Fame now? Sometimes I don’t know… Like when they pick stuff, sometimes you’ve got the FOUR TOPS in there or an R&B band; there’s all kinds of different genres [in there]. It’s, like, ‘Who’s next?’ And there’s a lot of bands that we both can name that should be in there but are not. Who is worthy of it? That kind of stuff. I hate even thinking about that stuff. I mean, hell, RUSH just got in there not too long ago. I wouldn’t even wanna put myself in that position to even compare anything.
“I don’t know how they pick [artists to induct into the Rock Hall],” he continued. “I’d love to sit around and listen to a roundtable [about] how they figure out who should be [in there] and what time is their time or whatever.
“We’ve done some cool stuff. If we were to get in, by any chance, I think there’s a nice story there. There’s some cool stuff there.”
Even though artists are eligible for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 25 years after the release of their first album or single, iconic hard rock and metal bands like IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST and MOTÖRHEAD have yet to be recognized by the institution, which inducted GUNS N’ ROSES in that group’s first year of eligibility.
The Rock Hall didn’t induct BLACK SABBATH until 2006, and METALLICA followed three years later.
Rock Hall rules state that artists become eligible a quarter century after their first records were released, but the Hall also claims that other “criteria include the influence and significance of the artists’ contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock ‘n’ roll,” which is, of course, open to interpretation.
Eligible for induction since 1999, KISS didn’t get its first nomination until 2009, and was finally inducted in 2014.
DEEP PURPLE was eligible for the Rock Hall since 1993 but didn’t get inducted until 2016.
PRIEST was on the ballot for Rock Hall induction last year, but failed to receive enough votes to make the class of 2020.
Having been eligible for induction since 1999, PRIEST was previously on the ballot for the 2018 class of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, but was ultimately left out of the inductee list.
IRON MAIDEN was on the ballot for Rock Hall induction this year, but didn’t make the class of 2021.
