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Iron Maiden has officially been left out of the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees. The English heavy metal band made it to the ballots for the first time since becoming eligible to enter the Rock Hall class in 2005.
Furious fans have retaliated against the Hall of Fame’s decision to exclude Iron Maiden, after the legendary band lost out to Tina Turner, Foo Fighters, Jay-Z, The Go-Go's, Carole King and Todd Rundgren.
Over 16 acts were nominated this year and other artists who failed to make the list of inductees include Rage Against The Machine, New York Dolls, Kate Bush, Fela Kuti, Devo, Dionne Warwick and LL Cool J.
Iron Maiden placed fourth among the top 5 nominee artists
It must be noted that the decision on who gets to be on the list of inductees is in the hands of the Hall of Fame’s international voting body consisting of over 1,200 people.
The members also include musicians, current living inductees, historians and other personalities from the music industry.
The organization’s website states the following are the factors taken into consideration for a potential inductee:
“Factors such as an artist’s musical influence on other artists, length and depth of career and the body of work, innovation and superiority in style and technique.”
Fans are also allowed to vote for their nominees and the top 5 artists from that voting are included as “Fan’s ballot” and get counted along with the rest of ballots. Tina Turner topped the list while Iron Maiden came in fourth, with the Foo Fighters taking the fifth spot.
The Hall of Fame has a history of overlooking many rock icons and metal bands. In recent years, Soundgarden, Thin Lizzy, Slayer, Motorhead and Judas Priest were also left out.
Nonetheless, even members from the music industry have called it “a travesty that continues” and some are also calling it a move influenced by the need to represent diversity in rock. Below are reactions from fans:
Meanwhile, Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson has clarified his stance on the Hall of Fame induction, calling it a “complete load of bollocks” and said that he was “really happy” that the band was not on the list and would “refuse” if inducted.
