The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced that Metallica will be inducted this year. The ceremony will take place on the 4th April 2009 in Cleveland and tickets go on sale to the general public on January the 24th.

It is somewhat inevitable that Metallica will take their place in the Hall of Fame given their impact on the world of Rock and Roll over the years. The rules stipulate that any act being inducted has to have released their first album at least 25 years ago and since Kill ‘Em All came out back in 1983 the band are now eligible.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame also has a museum based in Cleveland. It is a non-profit organisation which exists in order to educate the world about the importance of Rock and Roll and highlight some of the best acts from over the years.

This year’s ceremony will be broadcast live on Fuse TV and as well as Metallica they will be inducting Jeff Beck, Run DMC and Bobby Womack. The acts were chosen by the 600 strong Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation.

Current members James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo will be inducted and so will long time bassist Jason Newsted and the late bass legend Cliff Burton. Metallica turned up for a short Q and A session when their induction was announced and they sounded pretty pleased about the whole thing. You can check the interview out at Fuse TV.