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Guess The Band

 

GUESS THE BAND: Volume, Velocity & the Beautifully Strange

August Hidden Gems Quiz

Forget the album covers. Forget the obvious hits. This month, we're playing Guess the Band.

You get three things: a photo, a song title, and a cryptic clue.

Your mission? Put the three together and name the artist.

We’re travelling from German synth-pop to black metal, punk rebellion to prog, gothic rock to novelty metal, and plenty of strange territory in between.

Some should be instant. Some may make you stare at the screen for a while.

20 bands. 20 songs. One question: how deep does your musical knowledge really go?


🎲 THE QUESTIONS

1. The Race

Question: Which Swiss electronic duo turned a frantic, futuristic instrumental into one of the most recognisable synth tracks of the 1980s?

Clue: Their name is the German word for yellow.

2. The Highwayman

Question: Which legendary country supergroup brought together four of America's most distinctive voices for this tale of reincarnation and outlaw life?

Clue: Their members included Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson.

3. Paper in Fire

Question: Which American heartland rocker delivered this fiery 1987 hit about ambition, temptation and watching dreams disappear?

Clue: His stage name is the same as a town in Indiana.

4. Summer Rain

Question: Which former Go-Go's singer scored a worldwide solo hit with this lush, melancholic 1989 pop song?

Clue: She became the voice behind Heaven Is a Place on Earth.

5. Powerless (Say What You Want)

Question: Which Portuguese-Canadian singer blended pop, world music and social commentary on this track from her 2003 album Folklore?

Clue: Her first name means “Nelly” — but her surname is unmistakable.

6. Leuchtturm

Question: Which German pop-rock icon recorded this song, whose title translates roughly as “Lighthouse”?

Clue: Her breakthrough hit involved a 99 red balloons.

7. Free Man

Question: Which pioneering British heavy metal band helped establish the NWOBHM sound with this track?

Clue: Their name sounds like something summoned from the darkest side of medieval folklore.

8. Phantom of the Opera

Question: Which British metal giants turned the title of a famous Gothic novel into one of their early progressive metal epics?

Clue: Their mascot is Eddie.

9. Reward

Question: Which Liverpool post-punk band delivered this psychedelic pop classic in 1981?

Clue: Their name sounds like something that happens when emotion takes over — and tears begin to fall.

10. Rush

Question: Which British band fused punk, hip-hop, dub, rock and sampling into this energetic 1980s track?

Clue: Their name sounds like a huge explosion — but abbreviated.

11. Death by Diamonds and Pearls

Question: Which British alternative rock trio brought dark blues, garage rock and swagger together on this track?

Clue: Their name contains a piece of the human anatomy — and they aren't a medical band.

12. Nellie the Elephant

Question: Which British punk-pop band turned a children's song about an adventurous elephant into a manic singalong?

Clue: Their name sounds like toys — and they certainly don't play like conventional rock musicians.

13. Passenger

Question: Which Californian alternative metal band teamed up with a famous Deftones-era collaborator on this atmospheric, sensual track?

Clue: Their name comes from the plural form of a medical term describing a tooth's sharp points.

14. Dare to Be Stupid

Question: Which musical satirist parodied everything from pop stars to heavy metal while making accordion rock surprisingly cool?

Clue: His first name is the adjective you might use when something is unusual.

15. Not Unlike the Waves

Question: Which American atmospheric metal band created epic, nature-soaked music combining black metal, folk and post-rock?

Clue: Their name comes from a medieval word meaning something like to deceive or mislead.

16. Journey to the End

Question: Which Norwegian black metal band became famous for incorporating traditional folk melodies and historical themes into their music?

Clue: Their name is an Old Norse word associated with wind.

17. Bonzo Goes to Bitburg

Question: Which legendary New York punk band took aim at Ronald Reagan with this politically charged 1985 track?

Clue: Their name is also the nickname for an American military training camp — and their music helped define punk rock.

18. Cul-de-sac

Question: Which progressive rock giants tucked this atmospheric instrumental into their 1980 album Duke?

Clue: Their career spans from Peter Gabriel's theatrical era to Phil Collins' pop-superstar years.

19. Radar Love

Question: Which Dutch rock band created one of the greatest driving songs in classic rock history?

Clue: Their name sounds like something that hangs from a wall — and they're anything but decorative.

20. Riders on the Storm

Question: Which legendary Los Angeles band closed their final studio album with this atmospheric masterpiece?

Clue: Their frontman was known as the Lizard King.


📊 HOW DID YOU DO?

0–4 → 🎧 Just Browsing the Record Store

5–8 → 📀 Casual Crate Digger

9–12 → 🎸 Deep-Cut Explorer

13–16 → 🔥 Hidden Gems Hunter

17–19 → 🏆 Rock Encyclopaedia

20/20 → 👑 Keeper of the Deep Cuts

How many did you recognise from the title?

How many did the photo give away?

And how many required that little “I KNOW THIS… WAIT…” moment?

That's the beauty of Guess the Band. Sometimes the song gets you there. Sometimes the clue does. And sometimes you just need to stare at the photograph until your brain finally catches up.

Ready to see how you did?


🎵 ANSWERS

Your audio answer experience

1. Yello — The Race

2. The Highwaymen — The Highwayman

3. John Mellencamp — Paper in Fire

4. Belinda Carlisle — Summer Rain

5. Nelly Furtado — Powerless (Say What You Want)

6. Nena — Leuchtturm

7. Angel Witch — Free Man

8. Iron Maiden — Phantom of the Opera

9. The Teardrop Explodes — Reward

10. Big Audio Dynamite — Rush

11. Band of Skulls — Death by Diamonds and Pearls

12. The Toy Dolls — Nellie the Elephant

13. Deftones — Passenger

14. “Weird Al” Yankovic — Dare to Be Stupid

15. Agalloch — Not Unlike the Waves

16. Windir — Journey to the End

17. Ramones — Bonzo Goes to Bitburg

18. Genesis — Cul-de-sac

19. Golden Earring — Radar Love

20. The Doors — Riders on the Storm


And there we have it — 20 bands, 20 clues, and another trip down the less-travelled roads of music.

From synth pioneers and punk legends to metal obscurities and songs that somehow became part of the cultural furniture, these are the artists that make digging deeper worthwhile.

Because the hits might get you through the front door…

but the hidden gems are where the interesting rooms are.

Until next time — keep digging. 🎸

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