Music for Pleasure, Music for Pain Quiz

Answer: Korn

'Freak on a Leash' is a single from the 1998 album 'Follow the Leader', and as well as being a popular Korn song of choice in rock clubs, it also has a very memorable video directed by Todd McFarlane. The video is partly live-action and partly animated, and in the animated section, a policeman fires a bullet, which leaves the animated world and enters the live-action one; in the middle section where Jonathan Davis scat-sings, it flies through a Korn poster.

The video won the awards for Best Editing and Best Rock Video at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards, and also won a Grammy Award in 2000 for Best Short Form Music Video.

Answer: Neil Young

Neil Young, whose hits also include 'Heart of Gold', teamed up with Pearl Jam at the 1993 awards ceremony to perform his 1989 hit 'Rockin' in the Free World'. He and Pearl Jam had been friends for some time and both Young and the members of Pearl Jam got to show off their instrumental skills, putting the 'jam' in Pearl Jam. Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder also destroyed his microphone stand.

Pearl Jam have performed 'Rockin' in the Free World' at multiple gigs and also inducted Young into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. He was inducted again in 1997, this time by Tom Petty, as part of Buffalo Springfield.

Answer: Faith

Admittedly, a cover of 'Careless Whisper' would have been interesting, but Limp Bizkit went down the 'Faith' route instead, covering it at their gigs to attract attention, before recording it for 'Three Dollar Bill, Y'All'. Producer Ross Robinson was initially against the idea until he heard the final version, which featured heavy scratching from DJ Lethal. Frontman Fred Durst was actually a fan of George Michael, but according to guitarist Wes Borland, Michael hated the Limp Bizkit version.

Other covers in this vein include Orgy's 'Blue Monday' (originally by New Order), Fear Factory's 'Cars' (originally by Gary Numan), Goldfinger's '99 Red Balloons' (originally by Nena), and Disturbed's 'Land of Confusion' (originally by Genesis).

Answer: In Utero

Not counting the various posthumous compilations, 'In Utero' was Nirvana's final (and, in my opinion, best) album, released in September 1993. It was produced by Steve Albini, of Shellac and Big Black fame, as Nirvana wanted a more abrasive sound, and the singles released from the album were 'Heart-Shaped Box' and a double A-side of 'All Apologies' and 'Rape Me'. A third single, 'Pennyroyal Tea', was scheduled for release in April 1994, but was cancelled following Kurt Cobain's death. However, it was later released ten years later to celebrate Record Store Day 2014.

'From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah' is a collection of Nirvana's live performances between 1989 and 1994.

Answer: Facelift

'Facelift' was Alice in Chains' debut album, featuring a strangely-coloured photo of bassist Mike Starr (who left the band in 1993, following the release of 'Dirt') on the cover. 'Man in the Box' was the second single to be released from the album. Frontman Layne Staley was inspired to write the song after going for dinner with some vegetarian friends and hearing them talk about calves being slaughtered for veal.

Both 'Black Gives Way to Blue' were recorded with singer William DuVall, who joined Alice in Chains in 2006, as a replacement for Staley following his death of a drug overdose in 2002. DuVall became friendly with guitarist Jerry Cantrell after moving to Los Angeles in 2000 with his band Comes with the Fall.

Answer: Living Colour

Living Colour are one of the longest-running bands in this quiz, having formed in 1984, with their sixth album 'Shade' released in 2017. 'Cult of Personality', released in 1988, was written in one session, with the riff being composed while the band were working on another song.

The song pays homage to several political figures, from Benito Mussolini to Joseph Stalin, and the title was inspired by Nikita Khrushchev's report on Stalin's legacy in the Soviet Union, entitled 'On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences'.

It won the Best Hard Rock Performance Award at the 1990 Grammy Awards.

Answer: Raging Speedhorn

One of the lesser-known bands in this quiz, Raging Speedhorn originally had two frontmen, Frank Regan and John Loughlin, both of whom left the band in 2008, though they returned for the 2014 reunion (with Loughlin leaving again in 2019). They were formed after two bands, Soulcellar (featuring Regan) and Box, merged. They released 'The Gush' - which featured as a bonus track on their 2000 self-titled debut album - in 2001, and it was their first single to chart on the UK Singles Chart. Comedian and fellow Northamptonshire native James Acaster is a fan of the band and interviewed Regan for 'Kerrang!' magazine in 2020.

(Defenestration were also from Northamptonshire - Kettering, to be precise - and Kill II This were from Manchester. Kittie are actually Canadian, but Raging Speedhorn supported them on their 2000 UK tour.)

Answer: My Ruin

Marilyn Manson's 2001 version of 'Tainted Love' is arguably the more famous metal cover, especially due to its appearance on the soundtrack for 'Not Another Teen Movie', but My Ruin had covered the song two years earlier in 1999. 'Tainted Love' appeared on their debut album 'Speak & Destroy'. (Frankly, I prefer the My Ruin version.) Some of the actresses from the film, including Mia Kirshner - who would later go on to star in 'The L Word' as Jenny Schecter - appeared in the video for Manson's version, which won the 'Kerrang!' Award for Best Video in 2022.

Believe it or not, Sepultura also covered 'Tainted Love'! It's from the post-Max Cavalera era, however - their version is from 2020 and was recorded for the Brazilian horror series 'Desalma'. The Scorpions also recorded a cover for their compilation album 'Comeblack', which also featured covers of the Beatles' 'Across the Universe' and the Rolling Stones' 'Ruby Tuesday'.

Answer: 7 Words

'7 Words' is about police brutality against ethnic minorities in the USA. The '7 Words' in question are 'you have the right to remain silent', which American players will recognise as the Miranda warning given to suspects by police. Chino Moreno wrote the song when he was sixteen years old and called it 'one of the angriest songs I've ever written'. It was the first single from 'Adrenaline', released in 1995. 'Adrenaline' was a slow burner, turning platinum four years after its release.

The Deftones started out as a quartet before turntablist and keyboardist Frank Delgado joined in 1999. They became a quartet again following the departure of bassist Sergio Vega in 2021; he had joined the band in 2009 to replace Chi Cheng, who died in 2013 after a period of severe illness following a car crash in 2008.

Answer: Audioslave

Faith No More's hits include 'Epic', 'We Care a Lot' and 'From Out of Nowhere' (my favourite). Mike Patton was playing with Mr Bungle, an experimental rock band he formed in high school (be warned - they sound nothing like Faith No More!) when he was drafted to replace original Faith No More singer Chuck Mosley. Guitarist Jim Martin suggested Patton after hearing a Mr Bungle demo. Patton wrote all the lyrics for Faith No More's 'Real Thing'.

Other members of Tomahawk include Duane Denison of The Jesus Lizard, Mr Bungle bassist Trevor Dunn and Helmet drummer John Stanier. Dunn also plays with Fantômas, another Patton supergroup featuring Melvins guitarist Buzz Osbourne and drummer Dave Lombardo, a founding member of Slayer. Other Patton projects include Peeping Tom, Dead Cross and Lovage.