Test Your Knowledge: Metallica

Estimated Completion Time
2 min
Test Your Knowledge: Metallica
Image: Fin Costello/Getty

About This Quiz

They took thrash metal from the back rooms to the biggest stadiums. How much do you really know about Metallica?
How many studio albums has the band released?
9
8
7
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

From those albums, the band has released 37 singles.

"Suicide & Redemption" is the band's longest song. How long is it?
9 minutes and 57 seconds
7 minutes and 54 seconds
7 minutes and 10 seconds
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It's also an instrumental song, with no lyrics whatsoever.

Metallica's 1991 album became known as what?
The White Album
The Black Album
The Gray Album
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It's still the band's all-time best seller and received unanimous critical acclaim.

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Lars Ulrich is well-known for his love of what?
fine art
fine wine
coin collections
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

He's been known to spend millions of dollars on a single piece of artwork.

Who was the first official lead guitarist?
Clif Burton
James Hetfield
Dave Mustaine
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Mustaine left the group to start Megadeth, another massively popular band.

When was Metallica officially formed?
November of 1980
October of 1981
March of 1982
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It happened when James Hetfield responded to Lars Ulrich's ad in "Recycler."

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Lars Ulrich has played drums in the studio for only one other band, named what?
Warrant
Megadeth
Mercyful Fate
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The name of the song was "Return of the Vampire."

How many singles were released from "Metallica?"
3
6
4
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The first single was "Enter Sandman" which became one of the band's best-known songs.

How many live albums has Metallica produced?
6
2
4
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The live albums cracked the top ten, just like the studio albums.

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The French version of "Ride the Lightning" was printed with the wrong colors. How many copies exist?
400
4000
40000
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

For collectors, it is one of the most sought-after albums in the band's catalog.

In total, roughly how many albums has Metallica sold worldwide?
98 million
110 million
118 million
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

They are one of the most successful bands ever in terms of commercial sales.

What was the name of James Hetfield's first band?
Creeping Death
Obsession
Phantom Lord
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

He was also in a group called Leather Charm.

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Other than Hetfield and Ulrich, who has been in the band the longest?
Kirk Hammett
Jason Newstead
Cliff Burton
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

His first band was named Exodus, but he's been with Metallica since 1983.

Which album was the band's first to enter the Billboard top ten?
"Kill 'Em All"
"Ride the Lightning"
"… And Justice for All"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

After only nine weeks the album had sold more than half a million copies.

James Hetfield was raised in a religious home and his family didn't believe in what?
modern medicine
electricity
the Internet
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

His mother died from cancer, possibly in part because she did not seek medical treatment.

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Which album do many long-time fans consider the dividing work between "old" and "new" Metallica?
"Metallica"
"Ride the Lightning"
"Load"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The album has slower and more melodic songs than the band's earlier work.

Why did the band kick Dave Mustaine out of the group?
His excessive drinking problem and difficult personality.
He insisted on writing credits for every song.
He wanted more creative control.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

He also did massive amounts of heroin and other drugs, but so did the other members.

What was the first instrument that James Hetfield played?
Piano
Cymbals
Drums
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

He started playing piano at age nine

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Which producer also played as a member of the band for a time?
Ron McGovney
Bob Rock
Robert Trujillo
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

He got production credit for every album from 1990 to 2003 and played bass temporarily.

Which famous musician did Kirk Hammett take guitar lessons from?
Slash
Dave Mustaine
Joe Satriani
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

His private lessons paid off handsomely.

What injury did Hetfield sustain while on tour with Guns N' Roses?
third-degree burns
compound fracture
concussion
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

He was burned badly by a pyrotechnics malfunction.

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Metallica famously filed a lawsuit against which technology company?
Napster
AOL
Limewire
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The company's technology was allowing users to illegally share copies of the band's songs.

How many Grammy awards has the band won?
14
9
7
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Its two most recent came in 2009, for best metal performance and best recording package.

Where did Kirk Hammett get his first guitar?
Montgomery Ward
Kmart
Sears
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The cheap instrument came with a 4-inch speaker.

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How did Cliff Burton die?
The band's tour bus crashed.
He was in a motorcycle accident.
He drowned.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The accident occurred during the European leg of the 1986 tour.

Lars Ulrich was proficient at which sport as a young man?
basketball
golf
tennis
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

He actually moved to Los Angeles to pursue the sport.

Which city's symphony orchestra performed the band's songs for a special recording?
Boston
New York
San Francisco
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A recording of the performance debuted at number two on the Billboard charts.

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How many consecutive albums have debuted at No. 1?
five
four
three
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It is the first band ever to achieve this feat.

Who did the band hire to produce "Death Magnetic"?
Bob Rock
Phil Spector
Rick Rubin
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Rubin has worked with other huge acts, such as LL Cool J, Lady Gaga and Black Sabbath.

What was unique about 2014's "Metallica By Request" tour?
The songs were all acoustic
Fans selected the songs for the setlist
Pre-screened fans were allowed onstage
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Unsurprisingly, "Master of Puppets" was one of the most popular songs.

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You Got:
/30
Fin Costello/Getty