Soundgarden is the Closest Thing to a Metal Band Nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame This Year

I’m still convinced that the primary purpose of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is to give people something to bitch about when they inevitably make decisions that not everyone agrees with. So I’m sure our comments section is going to be filled with a great deal of lively debate following the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominations that were released early this morning.

Oh wait, hold on. *Scans the list for someone relevant to MetalSucks* I guess Soundgarden is close enough. Yes, you heard that correctly: Soundgarden are the hardest band on this year’s list. 

Let’s go ahead and show you the full list so we can talk about it:

Bad Company
The Black Crowes
Mariah Carey
Chubby Checker
Joe Cocker
Billy Idol
Joy Division/New Order
Cyndi Lauper
Maná
Oasis
Outkast
Phish
Soundgarden
The White Stripes

Of the 14 nominees that will eventually be whittled down to about five to seven, eight of them are being considered for the first time, namely Bad Company, the Black Crowes, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Billy Idol, Maná, OutKast and Phish. According to Loudwire, the range of when the artists got started in their careers starts at 1958 with Chubby Checker and goes up to 1997 with The White Stripes.

The new list of nominees will obviously do nothing to end the one big beef that metalheads have with the Rock Hall of Fame, which is their continued snubbing of Motörhead. For the uninitiated, the Hall of Fame only nominated Motörhead once in 2020, and the band was not voted in. 

It’s not a great list, but out of just these 14 artists, my votes go to Bad Company, Chubby Checker, Billy Idol, Joy Division/New Order, Cyndi Lauper, Outkast, and Soundgarden. If Phish somehow beat Motörhead into the Rock Hall of Fame, then there is no justice in this world.