Metallica will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year, it was announced at a press conference in New York on Wednesday (January 14th). Joining the band as inductees are guitar legend Jeff Beck, Run-DMC, Bobby Womack, and Little Anthony & The Imperials. The Stooges were once again left off the list, despite being nominated several times and enduring the death of guitarist Ron Asheton last week.

Metallica are first-time nominees, with the nomination coming 25 years after the release of the band's 1983 debut album, Kill 'Em All. An act must be recording for a quarter century in order to be eligible. The induction ceremony will take place in Cleveland on April 4th at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum itself and will be broadcast live on the Fuse cable channel. Previous ceremonies have been held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York.

In a press conference broadcast on the Fuse cable music channel, Metallica frontman James Hetfield was asked why induction into the Hall of Fame was different from other accolades the band has received: "I think it is pretty different as in, it happens once. You know, some of the other shows and things where you're getting awards, you can continue to get those. But this, this happens once, and this is a celebration of not only us, but all the people who have helped with the vision to get there."

Drummer Lars Ulrich said that to him induction into the Hall of Fame meant unity with the rest of rock history: "You know, we are part of a bigger picture and, you know, you're a link in some chain of everybody that's come before you and everybody that's coming after you. And I really, personally love rock and roll history, love everything about how everything fits together in different genres and different bands and all this type of stuff. So to be part of that kind of history, and also to be in there to help inspire what's coming after us, to me is a great, great honor."

Hetfield was asked to speculate on what late bassist Cliff Burton, who died in a 1986 bus crash, would have thought of the induction: "I hate playing what-ifs. I love being here right now. You know, the spirit of Cliff lives in us, we take him everywhere we can, so I want to think that he would love this, the fact that Metallica is being recognized as something to reckon with."

Lead guitarist Kirk Hammett spoke about fellow inductee Jeff Beck: "For me, Jeff Beck is one of my heroes and has been ever since I picked up a guitar. In fact, like, one of the very first guitar solos I learned how to play was off of the Truth album. And so I'm really, really excited about the fact that, you know, he's being inducted the same time we are, and I'm looking forward to playing some guitar with him at some point."

For the first time in the Hall's history, tickets to the ceremony will be available to the general public. Hall and Museum members can buy tickets in a pre-sale on January 22nd and 23rd, with walk-up sales at the box office taking place on the 24th and Ticketmaster sales beginning on the 26th.

Members of Metallica's fan club should check metclub.com for information about a special club ticket sale.

Presenters and performers at the ceremony have yet to be announced.

In addition to current Metallica members Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett, and Robert Trujillo, previous bassists Jason Newsted and Burton will also be inducted.

Disturbed leads the list of artists contributing cover songs to Covered: A Revolution In Sound, a new compilation due out on February 24th. Among the other artists included in the set are Taking Back Sunday, the Used, Mastodon, and Against Me!. Disturbed has recorded their version of Faith No More's "Midlife Crisis" for the set, while Taking Back Sunday takes on Tom Petty's "You Wreck Me," and the Used handle the Talking Heads' "Burning Down The House."

Since the album is a Warner Bros. Records release, several of the artists are currently signed to the label and covering some of its older or catalog acts.

The complete track listing for Covered: A Revolution In Sound is:
Flaming Lips - "Borderline" (Madonna)
Black Keys - "Her Eyes Are A Blue Million Miles" (Captain Beefheart)
Michelle Branch - "A Case Of You" (Joni Mitchell)
Against Me! - "Here Comes a Regular" (The Replacements)
Missy Higgins - "More Than This" (Roxy Music)
James Otto - "Into the Mystic" (Van Morrison)
Adam Sandler - "Like a Hurricane" (Neil Young)
Taking Back Sunday - "You Wreck Me" (Tom Petty)
Mastodon w/Billy Gibbons - "Just Got Paid" (ZZ Top)
The Used - "Burning Down The House" (Talking Heads)
Disturbed - "Midlife Crisis" (Faith No More)

Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx's first signing as president of Eleven Seven Music will release its debut album later this year, according to Blabbermouth.net. Called Charm City Devils, the band hails from Baltimore and recorded most of its debut disc, Let's Rock 'N' Roll at the home studio of frontman John Allen. Sixx said about the group, "When I first heard Charm City Devils, my initial thought, along with everyone at Eleven Seven, was this is a real rock band ...When I listen to their music, I hear elements of credible bands like Aerosmith and I feel AC/DC."

Motley Crue is also signed to Eleven Seven, which is an offshoot of the band's management. Sixx became president of the label last year.

Sixx told us that with music moving online, it's a lot different for a band to get itself known these days than when the Crue started out: "We did it the way we did it. We put out our own record independently. It's a whole different interface with the world now. It's a great way to find new talent, which in turn you get to turn onto a new generation of people, and there's a new way to get them too. It's not like a piece of vinyl that gets shipped into a mom and pop store and some kid just happens to find it."

More info on Charm City Devils can be found at myspace.com/charmcitydevils.

Motley Crue will begin a new tour on February 9th in San Diego, finishing up on March 18th in Portland, Maine. The bill will also include Hinder, Theory of a Deadman, and band search contest winners The Last Vegas.