Thin Lizzy, Judas Priest & Motörhead among 2020 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees

Vying to be inducted next spring are Judas Priest, Motörhead, Thin Lizzy, T. Rex, The Doobie Brothers, Soundgarden, Todd Rundgren, Pat Benatar, Dave Matthews Band, MC5, Nine Inch Nails and Depeche Mode.

Completing the typically eclectic nominations list are Notorious B.I.G., Whitney Houston, Kraftwerk and Rufus featuring Chaka Khan.

The five inductees will be announced in January and they will be formally inducted at a ceremony at Cleveland’s Public Hall on 2nd May 2020.

Artists can only be nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25 years after the release of their first studio album.

A voting pool of more than 1,000 artists, historians, journalists and members of the music industry will select the new class, and for the seventh year running fans themselves can have a small say on the inductees - the “fan's ballot" will count as one of the ballots that decide the class of 2020.

Previously nominated in 2018, after being shunned in 2019, heavy metal heroes Judas Priest have made the shortlist for a second time.

Rob Halford told Billboard: "It's just another thrill, again, to be nominated and so quickly because I know sometimes the nominations can get stretched out for quite a long period of time. So to get another one so quickly is wonderful and another great moment for the Priest and for our fans."

Dave Matthews Band, the Doobie Brothers, Motörhead, The Notorious B.I.G., Pat Benatar, Soundgarden, T. Rex, Thin Lizzy and Whitney Houston have all been nominated for the first time.

It’s the sixth appearance on the shortlist for Kraftwerk, the fifth for the MC5, the fourth for Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, the third for Nine Inch Nails and Depeche Mode, and the second for the aforementioned Judas Priest and Todd Rundgren.

Once again, despite being one of biggest and most influential heavy metal bands on the planet, Iron Maiden have been omitted from the shortlist. Still yet to pick up a nomination, Maiden have been eligible since 2005.

Bruce Dickinson, however, won't be losing any sleep as last November he hailed it as “an utter and complete load of bollocks” and “run by a bunch of sanctimonious bloody Americans who wouldn’t know rock ‘n’ roll if it hit them in the face.”

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation was established by Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun on 20th April 1983 to honour artists who helped shape the history of rock n’ roll.

Earlier this year, Def Leppard were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside Radiohead, Roxy Music, The Cure, The Zombies, Stevie Nicks and Janet Jackson.