Iron Maiden and Rage Against the Machine Snubbed by Rock & Roll Hall of Fame | Revolver

Iron Maiden and Rage Against the Machine Snubbed by Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Randy Rhoads to receive "Musical Excellence Award"
iron maiden bruce dickinson WILSON, Kevin Wilson
photograph by Kevin Wilson

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has announced their 2021 inductees, and as is tradition, metal has once again been snubbed. Although this year's ballot finally included Iron Maiden — who've been eligible for the controversial honor since 2004 — and Rage Against the Machine, neither of those legendary acts received enough votes to be included in this year's crop of inductees, which ended up consisting of the Foo Fighters, Jay-Z, the Go-Go's, Todd Rundgren, Carole King and Tina Turner.

There's no denying the impact each of those acts have had on the greater musical landscape, but the glaring lack of metal in the list does feel like a slight. However, the one silver lining for heshers worldwide is that late Ozzy Osbourne/Quiet Riot guitarist Randy Rhoads will be posthumously honored with a "Musical Excellence Award" alongside LL Cool J and Billy Preston. The renowned axeman tragically died in a plane crash back in 1982 when he was just 25 years old, but his playing style continues to have a massive influence on rock and metal writ large.

Despite that one proper nod, many metalheads will surely be irked by the Hall of Fame's continued dismissal of indisputably significant acts like Maiden, Judas Priest and Motörhead — none of whom have been recognized despite having been eligible for nearly two decades. However, it's times like these when we should consider the wise words of Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson, who infamously torched the institution during a stop of his 2018 spoken word tour in Melbourne, Australia.

"I actually think the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is an utter and complete load of bollocks, to be honest with you," Dickinson told a room of fans. He added, "It's run by a bunch of sanctimonious bloody Americans who wouldn't know rock & roll if it hit them in the face. They need to stop taking Prozac and start drinking fucking beer."