“Scream for me, Rock Hall.”
Third time might be the beastly charm for Iron Maiden, as the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame have just unveiled that their 2026 picks for potential inductees once again include the mighty, arena conquering English act.
A group of 17 nominees was announced today (February 25th), and indeed, it looks like Maiden have another shot at making it into the Hall’s hallowed, uh, halls. The band have been eligible for inclusion since 2004, and had previously been nominated in 2021 and 2023.
This year, the Rock Hall have also re-nominated multi-octave-hopping diva Mariah Carey, as well as Britpop legends Oasis and a combination induction for Manchester post-punks Joy Division and their follow-up project, New Order. Other 2026 nominees include bluesy brother-led rock outfit Black Crowes, Billy Idol, Sade, Jeff Buckley, Phil Collins, Melissa Etheridge, Lauryn Hill, INXS, New Edition, P!NK, Shakira, Luther Vandross and Wu-Tang Clan.
“This diverse list of talented nominees recognizes the ever-evolving faces and sounds of Rock & Roll and its continued impact on youth culture,” John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, revealed in a statement. “Induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is music’s highest honor and we look forward to celebrating the Class of 2026 this Fall.”
Despite today’s additional nom for the NWOBHM vets, Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson has been famously dismissive of the Rock Hall over the years, once calling the Cleveland-based institution “an utter and complete load of bollocks” during a 2018 spoken-word gig in Australia.
He later told The Jerusalem Post: “I’m really happy we’re not [in the Rock Hall] and I would never want to be there. If we’re ever inducted, I will refuse — they won’t bloody be having my corpse in there.”
He added: “Rock & roll music does not belong in a mausoleum in Cleveland. It’s a living, breathing thing, and if you put it in a museum, then it’s dead. It’s worse than horrible, it’s vulgar.”
Nevertheless, should you want Maiden to make it to the Rock Hall’s Class of 2026, you can cast a supportive vote for the group now on the institution’s website.
In other news, it was confirmed this week that a new band documentary titled Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition will be screening worldwide on May 7th. Directed by Malcolm Venville (Churchill at War), the film is set to trace Maiden’s 50-year history and how they became “one of the world’s most influential and enduring rock bands.” In addition to interviews with the band, the doc features talks with fans like actor Javier Bardem, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, Public Enemy rapper Chuck D and more.