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Heavy Metal Trivia

Heavy metal as a genre: first records, the British wave, hair bands, thrash, festivals and gear.

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Which American band, formed in New York City in 1973, is known for its face paint and stage outfits?

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with any school, exam board, quiz show, record label, festival or awards body. Bank checked October 16, 2026.

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All 72 questions with answers

Roots and first records 12

  • A 1971 review of the debut record of Sir Lord Baltimore has the first documented use of the term heavy metal for a style of music. Which magazine printed it? Answer: Creem. Source: Wikipedia: Sir Lord Baltimore
  • A song that Iron Butterfly released in 1968 fills the whole second side of its album. About how long does it run? Answer: Slightly over 17 minutes. Source: Wikipedia: In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
  • A song written by Mars Bonfire and first released as a single by Steppenwolf is sometimes described as the first heavy metal song. Which film of 1969 featured it? Answer: Easy Rider. Source: Wikipedia: Born to Be Wild
  • Blue Cheer, a band credited as one of the earliest pioneers of heavy metal, was based in which American city in the late 1960s? Answer: San Francisco. Source: Wikipedia: Blue Cheer
  • Heavy metal developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s with roots in blues rock and psychedelic rock. In which two countries did it largely develop? Answer: The UK and the United States. Source: Wikipedia: Heavy metal music
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Roots and first records, continued

  • Judas Priest, one of the pioneers of the new wave of British heavy metal, formed in 1969 in which English city? Answer: Birmingham. Source: Wikipedia: Judas Priest
  • The Scorpions, a hard rock and heavy metal band that the guitarist Rudolf Schenker formed in 1965, come from which German city? Answer: Hanover. Source: Wikipedia: Scorpions (band)
  • Which American band, formed in New York City in 1973, is known for its face paint and stage outfits? Answer: Kiss. Source: Wikipedia: Kiss (band)
  • Which band did the bassist and singer Lemmy Kilmister form in London in 1975? Answer: Motörhead. Source: Wikipedia: Motörhead
  • Which band's debut album of 13 February 1970 is widely regarded as the first true heavy metal album? Answer: Black Sabbath. Source: Wikipedia: Black Sabbath (album)
  • Which British band, among the pioneers of heavy metal, began in 1968 as a psychedelic rock band and turned to a heavier sound with an album of 1970? Answer: Deep Purple. Source: Wikipedia: Deep Purple
  • Which English rock band, formed in London in 1968, was made up of Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham? Answer: Led Zeppelin. Source: Wikipedia: Led Zeppelin

Britain and the new wave 12

  • The British magazine Kerrang!, first published on 6 June 1981, takes its name from what? Answer: The sound of a guitar struck with force. Source: Wikipedia: Kerrang!
  • Def Leppard, an English rock band whose line-up since 1992 has had Joe Elliott as lead singer, formed in 1976 in which city? Answer: Sheffield. Source: Wikipedia: Def Leppard
  • Girlschool, a British band that formed in the new wave of British heavy metal scene in 1978, grew out of a school band. What was the school band called? Answer: Painted Lady. Source: Wikipedia: Girlschool
  • The term new wave of British heavy metal was coined for an article by Geoff Barton in May 1979. In which British music newspaper did it appear? Answer: Sounds. Source: Wikipedia: New wave of British heavy metal
  • The title of the second album of Venom, a band formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1978, became the name of which style of metal? Answer: Black metal. Source: Wikipedia: Venom (band)
  • What is the name of the mascot of Iron Maiden, who appears on all of the band's album covers? Answer: Eddie. Source: Wikipedia: Eddie (Iron Maiden)
  • What is the title of the sixth studio album by Judas Priest, released on 11 April 1980? Answer: British Steel. Source: Wikipedia: British Steel (album)
  • Which band from Stourbridge, part of the new wave of British heavy metal, is cited by Metallica and Megadeth as a significant early influence? Answer: Diamond Head. Source: Wikipedia: Diamond Head (British band)
  • Which guitarist recorded two studio albums with Ozzy Osbourne, the first of them released in the UK on 12 September 1980? Answer: Randy Rhoads. Source: Wikipedia: Blizzard of Ozz
  • Which singer made his first album with Iron Maiden in 1982, the band's first to top the UK Albums Chart? Answer: Bruce Dickinson. Source: Wikipedia: The Number of the Beast (album)
  • Which singer replaced Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath in 1979 and first sang on an album that the band released on 18 April 1980? Answer: Ronnie James Dio. Source: Wikipedia: Heaven and Hell (Black Sabbath album)
  • Who formed Iron Maiden in Leyton, East London, in 1975, and is its bassist and primary songwriter? Answer: Steve Harris. Source: Wikipedia: Iron Maiden

Hair bands and glam metal 12

  • A hard rock band from Sacramento, California, began in 1981 under the name City Kidd. After which inventor and electrical engineer was it later named? Answer: Nikola Tesla. Source: Wikipedia: Tesla (band)
  • A power ballad that the Scorpions recorded for an album of 1990 was written by the singer Klaus Meine after the band visited which country? Answer: The Soviet Union. Source: Wikipedia: Wind of Change (Scorpions song)
  • Glam metal, a subgenre with pop-influenced hooks, upbeat anthems and slow power ballads, borrows much of its fashion and image from which movement of the 1970s? Answer: Glam rock. Source: Wikipedia: Glam metal
  • Hanoi Rocks, the first band from its country to chart in the UK, was formed in 1979 in which capital city? Answer: Helsinki. Source: Wikipedia: Hanoi Rocks
  • In which all-female rock band of the late 1970s was Lita Ford the lead guitarist, before her glam metal solo career reached its peak in the late 1980s? Answer: The Runaways. Source: Wikipedia: Lita Ford
  • Poison, whose best-known line-up had Bret Michaels as lead singer, was formed in 1983 in the town of Mechanicsburg. In which state is it? Answer: Pennsylvania. Source: Wikipedia: Poison (band)
  • Stryper, formed in 1981 as Roxx Regime, is recognized as the first heavy metal band to gain mainstream acceptance with what? Answer: Overtly Christian lyrics. Source: Wikipedia: Stryper
  • Which album by Quiet Riot, released on February 28, 1983, was the first heavy metal album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 chart? Answer: Metal Health. Source: Wikipedia: Metal Health
  • Which band did the bassist Nikki Sixx and the drummer Tommy Lee form in Hollywood, California, in 1981? Answer: Mötley Crüe. Source: Wikipedia: Mötley Crüe
  • Which band, formed in New Jersey in 1972 and later based on Long Island, is remembered for music videos with a sense of slapstick humour? Answer: Twisted Sister. Source: Wikipedia: Twisted Sister
  • Which band, formed in the suburbs of Philadelphia in 1983, had a glam metal sound through the late 1980s and music videos in heavy rotation on MTV? Answer: Cinderella. Source: Wikipedia: Cinderella (band)
  • Whitesnake began in London in 1978 as the backing band for which singer, who had recently left Deep Purple? Answer: David Coverdale. Source: Wikipedia: Whitesnake

Thrash and the heavier styles 12

  • By what name is the self-titled fifth studio album of Metallica, released on August 12, 1991, commonly known? Answer: The Black Album. Source: Wikipedia: Metallica (album)
  • The first Grammy Award for hard rock and metal was presented in 1989. Metallica was expected to win. Which band won instead? Answer: Jethro Tull. Source: Wikipedia: Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental
  • Metallica was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by the singer and guitarist James Hetfield and which drummer? Answer: Lars Ulrich. Source: Wikipedia: Metallica
  • Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax and which band from Huntington Park, California, are known as the big four of thrash metal? Answer: Slayer. Source: Wikipedia: Slayer
  • Nightwish, a Finnish band formed in 1996, plays a style of metal that makes use of orchestral elements. What is the style called? Answer: Symphonic metal. Source: Wikipedia: Nightwish
  • Rammstein, a German band formed in Berlin in 1994, has a name that means what? Answer: Ramming stone. Source: Wikipedia: Rammstein
  • Sepultura, a heavy metal band formed in 1984 by the brothers Max and Igor Cavalera, comes from which country? Answer: Brazil. Source: Wikipedia: Sepultura
  • Slipknot, an American heavy metal band formed in 1995, comes from which city in Iowa? Answer: Des Moines. Source: Wikipedia: Slipknot (band)
  • Which Finnish band, known for wearing monster masks, won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2006? Answer: Lordi. Source: Wikipedia: Lordi
  • Which progressive metal band was formed in 1985 under the name Majesty, by three students of Berklee College of Music? Answer: Dream Theater. Source: Wikipedia: Dream Theater
  • Which singer and guitarist formed Megadeth in Los Angeles in 1983? Answer: Dave Mustaine. Source: Wikipedia: Megadeth
  • Which style of metal typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much thicker sound than other kinds of heavy metal? Answer: Doom metal. Source: Wikipedia: Doom metal

Festivals, film and the metal press 12

  • A documentary film of 1988, filmed between August 1987 and February 1988, chronicles the heavy metal scene of which city? Answer: Los Angeles. Source: Wikipedia: The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years
  • A documentary short of 1986 interviews young heavy metal fans at a tailgate party in Landover, Maryland, on May 31, 1986. Where are they gathered? Answer: In the parking lot of a concert venue. Source: Wikipedia: Heavy Metal Parking Lot
  • Encyclopaedia Metallum, an online encyclopedia of heavy metal artists with contents written by its users, is commonly known by which other name? Answer: Metal Archives. Source: Wikipedia: Encyclopaedia Metallum
  • Hellfest, one of the biggest metal festivals in Europe, is held each June in the town of Clisson. In which country is it? Answer: France. Source: Wikipedia: Hellfest
  • Sam Dunn, who travels the world in a documentary of 2005 to hear opinions on heavy metal, had been a fan since the age of 12. What is his profession? Answer: Anthropologist. Source: Wikipedia: Metal: A Headbanger's Journey
  • Wacken Open Air, a heavy metal festival first held in 1990, takes place on the first weekend of August in a village in which country? Answer: Germany. Source: Wikipedia: Wacken Open Air
  • Where does the annual heavy metal festival 70000 Tons of Metal take place? Answer: On board a cruise ship. Source: Wikipedia: 70000 Tons of Metal
  • Which festival tour of heavy metal and hard rock was founded by Sharon Osbourne and Ozzy Osbourne? Answer: Ozzfest. Source: Wikipedia: Ozzfest
  • Which mockumentary comedy film of 1984 follows a parody heavy metal band on tour? Answer: This Is Spinal Tap. Source: Wikipedia: This Is Spinal Tap
  • Which MTV program of heavy metal music videos began on April 18, 1987, and was canceled in 1995? Answer: Headbangers Ball. Source: Wikipedia: Headbangers Ball
  • Which open-air festival of rock and metal, first held in 2003, takes place each June at Donington Park in Leicestershire, England? Answer: Download Festival. Source: Wikipedia: Download Festival
  • The work of a committee formed in the United States in 1985, which sought more parental control over the music children could buy, led to the wide use of which sticker? Answer: The Parental Advisory sticker. Source: Wikipedia: Parents Music Resource Center

Riffs, gear and metal words 12

  • A seven-string guitar adds one string to the usual six, commonly to extend the bass range. To which note is the extra string usually tuned? Answer: A low B. Source: Wikipedia: Seven-string guitar
  • For the technique called a palm mute, where does a guitarist place the side of the picking hand? Answer: Across the strings, close to the bridge. Source: Wikipedia: Palm mute
  • In drop D tuning, which is often used with the electric guitar in heavy metal, which string is tuned down by one whole step? Answer: The lowest string. Source: Wikipedia: Drop D tuning
  • In music theory, a tritone is an interval that spans how many whole tones? Answer: Three. Source: Wikipedia: Tritone
  • Jim Marshall, a shop owner, founded a company in London in 1962 that makes guitar amplifiers and speaker cabinets. Which instrument did he play? Answer: The drums. Source: Wikipedia: Marshall Amplification
  • What did Floyd D. Rose invent in 1976, the first of its kind, that became popular with guitarists in the 1980s? Answer: A locking vibrato arm. Source: Wikipedia: Floyd Rose
  • What is headbanging, which is common in rock, punk and heavy metal? Answer: Shaking the head in rhythm with the music. Source: Wikipedia: Headbanging
  • What is the mark called that is used decoratively over letters in the names of bands such as Blue Öyster Cult and Queensrÿche? Answer: A metal umlaut. Source: Wikipedia: Metal umlaut
  • What is the name for a virtuosic style of electric guitar playing that includes fast alternate picking, sweep-picking and tapping? Answer: Shred guitar. Source: Wikipedia: Shred guitar
  • Which effect gives an amplified electric guitar a fuzzy, growling or gritty tone, usually by increasing its gain? Answer: Distortion. Source: Wikipedia: Distortion (music)
  • Which electric guitar, with a radical body design called futuristic, did Gibson introduce in 1958, the same year as the Explorer? Answer: The Flying V. Source: Wikipedia: Gibson Flying V
  • Which two fingers are extended in the hand gesture known as the sign of the horns? Answer: The index and little fingers. Source: Wikipedia: Sign of the horns

How this list was compiled: Written for this site; nothing was copied from another list. Questions and wrong choices are our own. Each explanation restates, in our own sentences, a fact from the English Wikipedia article named and linked beside the question (https://en.wikipedia.org, text under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license), and the passage that states each fact was found in that article on October 16, 2026 before the question was kept. 72 articles are linked, one to a question, each the article on the band, the album, the song, the style, the festival, the film or the piece of gear asked about. The pack takes heavy metal as a genre, in six rounds: roots and first records; Britain and the new wave; hair bands and glam metal; thrash and the heavier styles; festivals, film and the metal press; riffs, gear and metal words. No round is given to one band. The title of a song or an album stands only as an answer, a choice or in the reason for an answer, and no lyric is quoted. Performers are named only with bands, releases, awards and dates of record. Nothing that a new release changes is asked: no running sales total and no record that still stands open. The lives of musicians off the stage are left out. A sentence that carries a citation-needed tag in its article was not used. Levels are our estimate: easy is fair for any table, medium suits a regular quiz player, hard will stump most tables. Each question also carries the date its article was read. Licence: own work

How it works

Whose debut album of 1970 is widely regarded as the first true heavy metal album, and which festival is held on a cruise ship? This heavy metal trivia runs from the first records to hair bands, thrash and gear.

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Heavy metal trivia questions and answers, round by round

Roots and first records has a song of 1968 slightly over 17 minutes long and the magazine that first printed the term. Britain and the new wave has a mascot called Eddie and a magazine named after a struck guitar. Thrash and the heavier styles asks about the big four and a Grammy upset of 1989.

Hair band trivia questions and answers

Set Start from to Hair bands and glam metal for twelve questions: the first heavy metal album to top the Billboard 200, a band named after an inventor, and a power ballad written after a visit to the Soviet Union.

  • With a table of guitarists, keep Riffs, gear and metal words for last: every answer starts an argument.

Questions and answers

Is this a heavy metal trivia game or a heavy metal quiz?

Both. One question at a time it is a quiz, with a reason after each answer. For a metal trivia game, a host reads a round of twelve aloud and teams write their answers down. Scored round asks twenty and marks them at the end.

What are some metal trivia questions?

In which city did Judas Priest form? Who replaced Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath in 1979? Which two fingers make the sign of the horns? The answers are Birmingham, Ronnie James Dio, and the index and little fingers.

Does the metal quiz ask for lyrics?

No. No lyric is quoted, and the title of a song or an album is only ever the answer, a choice or part of the reason. The questions give bands, places, dates, gear and the words of the genre.

How were the answers checked?

Each was read on October 16, 2026 in the English Wikipedia article on the band, the record, the festival or the gear itself. Nothing that a new release could change is asked, and musicians' private lives are left out.

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