"How fast can you play?"
"What guitar do you have?"
"Who is better, Van Halen or Steve Vai?"

For metal fans in the '80s, these were common and important questions. Tune in to MTV, pick up a magazine, or walk into an instrument store, and more often than not you'd be exposed to what is now known as shredding - the fast, virtuoso soloing popularized by musicians like Vai and Van Halen, Joe Satriani and Yngwie Malmsteen, Randy Rhoads and Dimebag Darrell.

Inspired by these pioneering guitarists, thousands of young musicians would spend hours at home in their bedrooms, perfecting both their playing and their poses. Though shredding fell out of favor during the grunge/alternative rock era, it has become increasingly popular again in recent years, spurred by the rise in popularity of bands like Children of Bodom, DragonForce, and Trivium.

Drawing on more than 70 exclusive interviews with key shredders past and present, yours truly has assembled the definitive guide to the fastest players of them all - Shredders!: The Oral History of Speed Guitar (And More), via Jawbone Press.

Take this quiz from quotes and facts plucked directly the book!
~Greg Prato