4. MOTöRHEAD
Years Eligible: 14
Ian Fraser "Lemmy" Kilmister, aka "God," was the sole constant member of Motörhead, which formed in 1975 in England. Although the band was often labeled as heavy metal, Lemmy himself described Motörhead’s music as just rock and roll and felt more of a kinship with punk, as the band had come out of that scene in mid-1970s London. The classic Motörhead lineup featuring Lemmy on vocals and bass; "Fast" Eddie Clarke on guitar; and drummer Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor recorded the equally classic albums, Motörhead (1977), Overkill (1979), Bomber (1979) and Ace of Spades (1980). That lineup also recorded 1982's Iron Fist, an album that Clarke produced and Lemmy has since called garbage, though the title track is considered a seminal Motörhead song.

Clarke left the band in 1982 after the second date on tour promoting Iron Fist; Clarke and Lemmy had not been getting along for some time. Lemmy was always the face of Motorhead, and he kept chugging along for decades, playing his fusion of punk and metal that helped pioneer speed-metal and thrash-metal along the way. After releasing 23 studio albums, ten live recordings, 12 compilation albums, and five EPs over a long career, Lemmy shockingly died of cancer at the age of 70 in 2015 and Motörhead came to an end. Lemmy would be impossible to replace.
3. RONNIE JAMES DIO
Years Eligible: 33
Dio the band should certainly be considered for induction into the Rock Hall, especially for their first two classic metal albums, Holy Diver (1983) and The Last In Line (1984). Because of his great work with Rainbow and Black Sabbath, in addition to his own band, Dio the man should definitely be inducted. Born Ronald James Padavona, Dio first recorded music way back in 1958 with his third band Ronnie & the Red Caps; Dio’s first prominent band was Elf, which recorded three albums from 1972 to 1975 before breaking up after most of the lineup was absorbed into Ritchie Blackmore's new group, Rainbow. Dio joined Rainbow as well and sang on three albums before he left after Blackmore wanted to move in a more commercial direction.

Dio then replaced Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath and cemented his place in heavy-metal history after recording Heaven and Hell (1980) and Mob Rules (1981) with the band. Dio and drummer Vinny Appice left Sabbath and formed their own band, Dio, after tensions with Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler reached a breaking point in 1982. Dio would return to Sabbath for the Dehumanizer album in 1992 and again in 2006, with the band taking the moniker Heaven & Hell and releasing one album, 2008's The Devil You Know. Dio is largely regarded as one of the greatest metal singers of all time and is also famous for “throwing up devil horns” in concert; he died of cancer in 2010.
2. IRON MAIDEN
Years Eligible: 12
Iron Maiden is one of the most successful metal bands of all time, but in addition to the music, what really drew in a lot of fans in the early days when Maiden got zero play on radio was their fantastic album artwork featuring mascot Eddie and their cool band logo; bands can learn a lot about marketing from them. Formed in England in 1975, the band recorded their first two albums, Iron Maiden (1980) and Killers (1981) with vocalist Paul Di'Anno; the albums are legendary metal classics in their own right, but Iron Maiden really took off when Bruce Dickinson replaced Di'Anno for the 1982 album The Number of the Beast.

The title of that album and the cover artwork brought accusations of Satanism, which continue from religious zealots to this day. Dickinson left Maiden to pursue a solo career in 1993 and was replaced by Blaze Bayley for a couple of albums; these albums sold poorly compared to Maiden’s previous work in the era of grunge. Dickinson returned to the band in 1999, and Maiden released Brave New World in 2000. the group continues on, recording albums and selling out arenas around the world; they seem to be more popular now than ever.

1. JUDAS PRIEST
Years Eligible: 17
Many people consider Judas Priest as the second most important metal band of all time, behind Black Sabbath. Like Sabbath, Priest formed in Birmingham, England; they released their first album, Rocka Rolla, in 1974. Priest next recorded four classic albums during their formative years, Sad Wings of Destiny (1976), Sin After Sin (1977) Stained Class (1978) and Hell Bent for Leather (1978) that influenced metal bands for decades to come. The band moved to a more commercial, radio-friendly sound with 1980’s British Steel, which features the classics "Breaking the Law" and "Living After Midnight." Screaming For Vengeance (1982) and Defenders of the Faith (1984) went on to become the band’s most popular albums.

Singer Rob Halford and the band also helped define heavy-metal fashion with their hardcore metal/biker/S&M style, with leather and spikes; Halford left the band in 1991 but returned in 2003 and Priest released Angel of Retribution in 2005. Guitarist K. K. Downing retired in 2011 and was replaced by Richie Faulkner; the new Priest lineup released Redeemer of Souls in 2014, the band's first  Top 10 album debut in the U.S. Priest is currently working on a new album scheduled for release in 2017.

HBO will re-air the 2016 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday on HBO2; 9 a.m., 12 p.m., 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Thursday on HBO; and 5 a.m. Saturday on HBO2, among other times. See hbo.com for complete listings.