Rob Halford has once again said that he believes JUDAS PRIEST will eventually be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. 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. Having been eligible for induction since 1999, JUDAS PRIEST was on the ballot for this year's class of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, but ultimately didn't clinch the nomination. During a press conference in Indonesia ahead of JUDAS PRIEST's December 7 concert in Jakarta, Halford said (see video below): "Everybody has different opinions on this Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. It's kind of a controversial issue for some musicians. And I think everybody in the band has a slightly different observation on it. But I think on the whole, it's no different to the other institutions of the same experience in America, like the Basketball Hall Of Fame and the Football Hall Of Fame. If you are included in that kind of place, it's something of an honor, because you're surrounded by your peers, you're surrounded by the people who enjoyed the same life and experience in that kind of endeavor. So if that does happen for JUDAS PRIEST, I think it will be a wonderful moment, because we're a British heavy metal band and the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is an American institution, but it still carries weight around the world. So we'll wait and see. I think we will get in there eventually, hopefully." 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. JUDAS PRIEST's new album, "Firepower", was released in March via Epic. The band will return to the United States next May for a run with fellow classic heavy rockers URIAH HEEP.
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