TAKE a peek inside Ozzy Osbourne’s living room, strum a guitar like Tony Iommi and get up close to the costumes worn by Judas Priest on their Painkiller world tour.

These are just some of the attractions at an exhibition opening at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery’s Gas Hall tomorrow.

Home Of Metal concentrates on three Midland bands – Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Napalm Death – to show how heavy metal was born in the region and ultimately took over the world.

After being welcomed to the show by Sabbath drummer Bill Ward, on film of course, visitors begin the journey in a 1960s Birmingham factory similar to one in which Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi worked. The recreation shows how the sounds of industry influenced heavy metal.

Then we look at the sitting room of a typical Aston terraced house of the time, just like Ozzy Osbourne’s in Lodge Road. Ozzy himself has been interviewed at his LA home for the show.

The Brum music scene is featured, explaining how the blues bands heard at Mothers in Erdington and Henry’s Blues House contributed to the birth of metal.

Black Sabbath’s first three albums can be heard, while a display of fan memorabilia shows how devoted some people become to the genre.

The collections of Chris Hopkins (Sabbath), Bill Sneyd (Judas Priest) and Duncan Wilkins (Napalm Death) get pride of place.

At the core of the exhibition is a huge stage with Black Sabbath’s cross from their Mob Rules tour, guitars and amps borrowed from Tony Iommi and costumes donated by Judas Priest. There is also a Harley Davidson motorcycle similar to the on-stage one used by Priest frontman Rob Halford.

An area close to the stage has been set aside for fans to play Gibson and Flying V guitars and drums.