QUIZ: OLD COMPUTER GAME OR HEAVY METAL BAND?

There's a curious sort of crossover between video games and the musical genre known as "heavy metal"; fantasy themes, adolescent power fantasies, bare-chested men, try-hard satanic symbolism... It's for this reason that, historically, many heavy metal band names and old computer game titles are virtually interchangeable. 

Here's a quiz to find out whether you - that's right: I'm talking to YOU - can tell the difference. 

Succeed and you might be appointed High Commissioner of India...! 

NONTERRAQUEOUS

Nonterraqueous is a ridiculous word, and a mouthful whether it's a game or a band; it seems to allude to something being the antithesis of terraqueous; consisting or formed of land or water. Thus; the opposite of this would be... like, space?

It's precisely the sort of cut-and-shut collection of syllables favoured both by metallers and game creators, but which is it; game or metal band?

​Press reveal for the answer, and make sure you make a note of it on your application to India House!

REVEAL:

GAME! Released by budget maestros Mastertronic in 1985, Nonterraqueous was a sort of maze-like arcade game, in which the player controlled a good robot on a mission to defeat a really evil computer. Crash magazine rated it 77%; the most meaningless of scores. 

LIEGE LORD

A liege is defined as a " feudal superior or sovereign". A lord is a "man of noble rank or high office or nobleman". Whether it's a game or a band, Liege Lord essentially translates as Lord Lord, or Liege Liege. 

But where, pray tell, does it hail from? Quickly now - time's running out if you want to be appointed High Commissioner of India!

REVEAL:

BAND! American power metal band Liege Lord formed in 1982, before splitting up seven years later. They reformed in 2012 for a series of live dates, recruiting a new guitarist with the excellent name "Danny Wacker"...

JAG PANZER

A Panzer is a German tank, and the word has been used in at least one other game franchise (Sega's Panzer Dragoon). Could another game have gotten there first? 

Only somebody worthy of becoming High Commissioner of India would know the answer.

REVEAL:

BAND! Colorado-based metal outfit Jag Panzer formed in 1981, and have been releasing albums, on and off, ever since! Their lead singer is one Harry "The Tyrant" Conklin. Ha ha.

THE EIDOLON

In Ancient Greek literature, an Eidolon was a spirit-image of a living or dead person - essentially a ghost. That's precisely the sort of nerdy mythological reference that both long-haired idiots and game developers enjoy - and the kind of deep cut reference that a true High Commissioner of India would be able to identify!

REVEAL:

GAME! One of LucasFilm Games' lesser-known releases (before they became LucasArts), The Eidolon was a first-person maze game that used pioneering fractal technology.

HEAVY LOAD

The words "HEAVY LOAD" can typically be found emblazoned on the rear of lorries. One of the duties of the High Commissioner of India might be supervision of trade vehicles such as lorries. I really don't know, in all honesty, but I'm sure you'll look into that if you are successful in your application.

REVEAL:

BAND! Admittedly, there has been at least one recent game with the title Heavy Load, but that's not the point of this quiz. Heavy Load is a Swedish band, which is best known for pioneering the genre of Viking metal.

PYRACURSE

Presumably, whomever came up with the name "Pyracurse" - be it some leather-clad German rock wannabe, or a bespectacled nerd - was alluding to the Greek word pyro, meaning fire. 

Further information about the role of the High Commissioner of India can be found here. 

REVEAL:

GAME! Released in 1986, Hewson's Pyracurse tried to jump aboard the isometric adventure bandwagon a year or two too late.

NETHER EARTH

Nether can also be found as part of the phrase "nether regions", which refers to the naughty parts of the human body. Certainly, this is the sort of allusion tight-trousered heavy metal performers would approve of, though please note that such phrases would not be appropriate for the High Commissioner of India, were you to get the role.  

REVEAL:

GAME! One of the first real-time strategy games, Nether Earth found players controlling a human army against alien invaders. Original idea, yeah?

SIDEWIZE

Bands like having a Z in their name, while misspelling familiar words; think Led Zeppelin, Gorillaz, Def Leppard et al. Games do it too; Metal Gear Zolid, The Zegend of Leda, and so on. Which category does Sidewize fit into?

And please: if you are successful, do not think about changing your title to something like Hygh Commizionar of India. This would not be considered "cool", and is likely to result in immediate termination of your role. 

REVEAL:

GAME! A shameless rip-off of Capcom's arcade shooter Side Arms, Firebird's Sidewize did little to disguise its inspiration.

MESSIAH FORCE

A messiah is a saviour of a group of people - a role a player of video games can often find themselves in. A messiah could also refer to Jesus Christ, and many bands have been known to use religious language in their names. Think Black Sabbath, Genesis and The Jesus And Mary Chain. But has there ever been a band called Messiah Force... or is it a game?

You may wish to note that India is the birthplace of four major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. Currently, only 2.3% of the population identifies as Christian. Make sure you mention this fact if they call you in for an interview. 

REVEAL:

BAND! Candian speed metal outfit Messiah Force last released an album in 1991.

AXEWITCH

An axe is a popular video game weapon, and witches are often found as video game antagonists. However, Axewitch - if it were a band name - wouldn't be the first band to combine two words to make a new one; Coldplay, Aerosmith, Kraftwerk...

Again, in you are fortunate to become High Commissioner of India, please do not feel inspired by this to defile the status of your office by shortening it to something along the lines of "Highcomind". 

REVEAL:

BAND! Axewitch formed in Sweden in 1981, split up in 1987, but reformed 20 years later. In the interim, drummer Mats Johanssen joined the band Skinny Horse.

STORMLORD

The rumble of thunder... the majesty of nature... the implied superiority over others... But is Stormlord a band or a game?

Important information: the current High Commissioner of India is Ruchi Ghanashyam. She hasn't yet been informed that she's going to be replaced by whomever does the best at this quiz, so don't go spreading it around, yeah? 

REVEAL:

BOTH! Released in 1989 on most home formats, the Amiga version of Hewson's fantasy platformer Stormlord was later ported to the Mega Drive. 

​Stormlord is also an Italian extreme metal band, formed in 1991. They released their latest album as recently as this year. 

WITCHKILLER

Again, there have been many witches in video games; lest we forget the profound horror of Granny's Garden. These witches need somebody to kill them... but did you kill them in a computer game called Witchkiller? 

It's worth adding to your list of potential responsibilities the fact that Modern India has a witch problem, but not of the sort you might think. Witch hunts are still very much an ongoing issue in the country, especially in underprivileged areas. You might want to make that a priority - IF you get the job.

REVEAL:

BAND! After getting together in 1984, Canadian metallers Witchkiller broke up after releasing a single EP.

SCAPEGHOST

Scapeghost wouldn't be the first or last band to use a weak pun in its name. You can also look to Joy Orbison, The Dead Kennedys, Dread Zeppelin - and many more - for other examples. Games also have form in this area: Big Mutha Truckers, Carmageddon, Splatoon and so on and so forth.

​Which is Scapeghost? 
 
Before you press reveal, here's a quick bit of info about the current High Commissioner of India, so you know what you're up against:

Mrs Ruchi Ghanashyam is a career diplomat, who joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1982. Prior to her current assignment as High Commissioner to the UK, she was Secretary (West) in Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), New Delhi from April 2017 to November 2018.

In a career spanning nearly thirty-seven years after joining Indian Foreign Service, Mrs Ruchi Ghanashyam served in the Embassy of India Damascus, Kathmandu, Brussels, High Commission of India Islamabad and in the Permanent Mission of India to the UN, New York.Mrs Ruchi Ghanashyam was High Commissioner of India to Ghana concurrently accredited to Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone and Togo. 

She has also served as High Commissioner of India to South Africa with concurrent accreditation to Kingdom of Lesotho. At Headquarters, Mrs Ruchi Ghanashyam served as Director (Pakistan) and Director CNV Division, MEA and as Joint Secretary and Additional Secretary for the Europe West Division of MEA, New Delhi.

High Commissioner Mrs Ruchi Ghanashyam holds a Master’s in Psychology from the Bhopal University. She speaks Hindi and English.

REVEAL:

GAME! Not to be confused with the Yu-Gi-Oh! monster of the same name, the original Scapeghost was the final text adventure released by genre pioneers Level 9. Players found themselves in the role of a deceased detective. 

SANXION

So very close to the name of the vintage British heavy metal band Saxon... would another group dare to call itself Sanxion? Or is it just the title of a game?

What shouldn't be considered a game is this application to become High Commissioner of India; please treat the postition with the respect and reverence it deserves.

REVEAL:

GAME! Better known for its Rob Hubbard C64 soundtrack than anything else, Sanxion was an otherwise unremarkable scrolling shoot 'em up.

KARATEKA

A karateka is a practitioner of karate. This certainly implies that Karateka could be the name of a game. Equally, it's the sort of stupid thing a band would call itself, thinking it sounds cool. 

This is it; your final answer. How do you think you've done? Please tot up your score and send it to:

Human Resources Department c/o
High Commission of India
India House
Aldwych 
London 
WC2B 4NA

REVEAL:

GAME! The first game ever released by Prince of Persia creator Jordan Mechner, Karateka combined one-on-one combat with scrolling platform elements.