Pearl Jam, Journey and Yes will be Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017

Pearl Jam, Journey and Yes will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017, alongside Tupac, Electric Light Orchestra and Joan Baez.

While none of those acts are “metal,” per se — even by the standards of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which now hosts Guns N’ Roses, AC/DC, KISS and other metal-friendly bands — the three bands mentioned in this article’s headline all share in having some importance to metalheads.

Anyone who came of age in the early and mid ’90s owned those first few Pearl Jam records. At the very least, you’re lying if Ten — or the songs thereon — didn’t play a huge role in your life. Shocking to many, Pearl Jam still sell out arenas to this day despite the lack of new material infiltrating the mainstream. Fellow ’90s alt-rock mainstays Nirvana (2014) and Green Day (2015) were also recently inducted.

Without Yes, the entire modern prog metal scene would not exist. It really is that simple. No Opeth, no Mastodon, no Between the Buried and Me, no Periphery, and on and on and on. The same argument might be made for Electric Light Orchestra, but to a lesser extent.

Journey… well, their connection to metal is certainly the most questionable of the bunch. But I’d argue that their radio success in the ’80s allowed them to serve as a “gateway” band that would inspire many to go on and listen to the harder stuff.

All three bands should certainly be in the Hall, along with this year’s other three inductees. Congrats to all. Now feel free to commence bitching about which bands have gotten the snub in the comments below.

[via NY Times]