WARREN DEMARTINI, CHRIS HOLMES, TRACII GUNS And RIKKI ROCKETT Among METAL HALL OF FAME 2026 Inductees

The Metal Hall Of Fame will take over the Sunset Strip for the 2026 blowout bash on January 21, 2026.

"We invite all the fans to join us in celebrating the '80s," says Metal Hall Of Fame founder/CEO Pat Gesualdo. "Get ready to unleash your inner metal spirit, and dress in leather, studs, big hair, and all the metal you can handle. Two iconic venues, one legendary night."

The 2026 Metal Hall Of Fame will be hosted by Eddie Trunk and entertainment personality Cathy Rankin.

Scheduled events:

* Celebrity Red Carpet - Rainbow Bar & Grill (6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.).

Inductions + All-Star Jam - Roxy Theater (starting at 8:00 p.m.)

* Chris Holmes (former W.A.S.P. guitarist) inducted by Carlos Cavazo
* Tracii Guns (L.A. GUNS)
* Warren DeMartini (RATT)
* Riki Rachtman (MTV's "Headbangers Ball")
* Rikki Rockett (POISON)
* All-Star Jam

This special celebration of the Sunset Strip will also include sponsorship activation from Monster Energy AMA Supercross (with some of their superstar riders),Ghost Tequilia, Koffin Krew Apparel and "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott's Blacktooth whiskey.

Metal Hall Of Fame is a non-profit organization. Legendary entertainment executives oversee all of the Metal Hall Of Fame initiatives, including Pat Gesualdo (founder of Metal Hall Of Fame/studio and touring drummer),Wendy Dio (founder, Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund),David Ellefson (formerly of MEGADETH),Jimmy Kay (The Metal Voice),Munsey Ricci (Skateboard Marketing),George Johnsen (Mammoth Vision Studio),Brian Perera (founder of Cleopatra Records) and Michael Sarna (Inmotion Entertainment Inc.).

The annual Metal Hall Of Fame celebrity gala has included historical moments throughout hard rock and heavy metal, including Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne granting former Ozzy drummer Lee Kerslake his dying wish of receiving his platinum record awards for the "Blizzard Of Ozz" and "Diary of A Madman" albums, having METALLICA induct Megaforce Records founders Jon and Marsha Zazula, inducting JUDAS PRIEST at Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany, inducting Steve Vai, TRIUMPH, Geoff Tate, and members of KISS and IRON MAIDEN, inducting ANTHRAX at Heavy Montreal, having Paul Stanley induct longtime KISS manager Doc McGhee, having Brian May of QUEEN induct Joe Satriani.

As always, fans can vote at www.metalhalloffame.org for their favorite bands to be inducted into the Metal Hall Of Fame.

Earlier this year, Gesualdo told West Coast Leather about how the Metal Hall Of Fame came to be: "In 2016 DEEP PURPLE got inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. When the drummer's wife went up to accept the award on his behalf, the camera panned to the audience and everybody was like half asleep. Ten seconds later Eazy-E got [his] award and everyone was so excited. I was so annoyed. I said, 'You know what? We need our own show and we are going to call it the Metal Hall Of Fame.' That was in April, and that following January 3,000 miles away, we had our first show."

Asked what his favorite thing is about working with the Hall Of Fame inductees, Pat said: "We are dedicated to preserving and honoring the musicians that have worked so hard for so many decades to keep the music that we love alive and something needed to be done about that."