Legendary British heavy metal band Judas Priest have once again been snubbed by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and guitarist Richie Faulkner had choice words for the institution. The band has been eligible for induction since 1999, but only first appeared on the ballot in 2018. They were nominated again this year, but didn’t make the cut.
In response to a disgruntled Priest fan on Twitter, Faulkner tweeted: “Doesn’t make sense does it … ? Hence why the rock hall holds no credibility for me and never has.”
“I’ve said it before, but 50 years in and still making music, touring the globe to the best fans in the world is the biggest accolade I can think of,” Faulkner continued in another tweet. “These institutions are founded on what these guys helped create and to not be included is a total joke. I have spoken haha … If you wanna call it the ROCK hall, then you should START with a healthy foundation of ROCK (in all its forms) to build on. The founding brothers and sisters that created and developed our beloved style of music and aided it’s evolution. Otherwise, what does it mean?”
Judas Priest’s continued absence from the Hall is disconcerting considering the band’s status as one of the longest-running and pioneering metal bands. Not to mention their universal success with hits like “Living After Midnight” and “Breaking the Law”.
Faulkner has been in Judas Priest since 2011 and was not listed among the members who would have been inducted had the band made the cut. However, he was a longtime fan of Judas Priest long before he joined the group.
(Read: 20 Worst Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Snubs)
Motörhead, Soundgarden, and The MC5 were among the other heavy nominees not to make the cut this year. The 2020 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class will consist of Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, Whitney Houston, T-Rex, The Doobie Brothers, and Notorious B.I.G.
Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford offered a more diplomatic take when speaking to Billboard in October. “There’s always a tinge of controversy about the Hall, but the fact that Priest is [nominated] again speaks volumes about the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame respecting heavy metal music, especially British heavy metal music.”
Notable heavy bands inducted in the hall include Black Sabbath (2006), Metallica (2009), Guns N’ Roses (2012), KISS (2014), and Deep Purple (2016), so there might yet be overdue justice for Judas Priest in future classes.
Doesn’t make sense does it kenny? Hence why the rock hall holds no credibility for me and never has RHRF DOTF https://t.co/QOv4u28OnE
— Richie Faulkner (@RichieFaulkner) January 15, 2020
I’ve said it before but 50 years in and still making music, touring the globe to the best fans in the world is the biggest accolade I can think of. These institutions are founded on what these guys helped create and to not be included is a total joke. I have spoken haha RHRF DOTF https://t.co/UXVf6r7fP0
Advertisement— Richie Faulkner (@RichieFaulkner) January 15, 2020
