The 2009 Rock – œN Roll Hall of Fame nominees are in, and fittingly Metallica is amongst them. It’s only the second year the band has been eligible, with the nomination no doubt fuelled by the barn-storming success of Death Magnetic.

Also up for the honour are the elder statesmen of punk and hip hop respectively – The Stooges and Run-DMC. As noted by Rolling Stone, if Run-DMC get voted in, they’ll be the only other hip hop inductee alongside 2008’s entry Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five. Filling out the nominees list are Jeff Beck, Chic, Wanda Jackson, War, Little Anthony and the Imperials and Bobby Womack.

In other – œMetallica are back baby’ news, Death Magnetic has been named Australia’s fastest-selling album of 2007 and 2008. Needless to say, it’s sitting pretty at the top of the ARIA chart – the band’s fifth consecutive #1 album. Those January tour whispers have never seemed so timely…