UPDATE: We have winners and video from Metallica’s 2023 Marching Band competition. “Back in April, we challenged marching bands across the country to create performances incorporating our music into their shows. The response blew us away and made for a heated competition, and the results are in,” noted the band before revealing the following winners:
College (Division 1): Auburn University
College (Divisions 2 & 3): Eastern New Mexico University
High School (Large): Dobyns-Bennett High School (Kingsport, TN)
High School (Medium): TIE – Boerne High School (Boerne, TX) & Malverne High School (Malverne, NY)
High School (Small): Oakton High School (Vienna, VA)
See Robert Trujillo’s competition recap below and watch videos from all the winners at this location.
Metallica’s music is already a favorite at many stadiums and sports competitions, but you may hear more of it over the next year. That’s because Metallica has opened up a national marching band competition, seeking out the best performances of their music on multiple levels of expertise with cash prizes being doled out in five different categories.
Metallica have chosen 13 tracks from their catalog, including “Lux Æterna” from their upcoming release 72 Seasons, that the bands can choose to cover for the competition. The other options include “Creeping Death,” “Enter Sandman,” “Fade to Black,” “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” “Fuel,” “Hit the Lights,” “Master of Puppets,” “One,” “Sad But True,” “Seek & Destroy,” “The Unforgiven” and “Wherever I May Roam.”
Get Metallica Tickets Here
All bands entering the competition will have a library of marching band charts for the songs provided by Hal Leonard at sheetmusicdirect.com.
Bands will compete in five categories, with two collegiate division winners receiving $75,000 and $40,000. A high school winner will receive $15,000, while a “fan favorite” section from the collegiate competition will get $10,000 and a fan favorite from the high school competition will also get $10,000.
Both high school and collegiate winners will be narrowed down to five finalists by professional judges, with Metallica’s members selecting the finale prize winners in each category and fan-voting helping to pick the two “fan favorite” winners.
READ MORE: 10 Things We Love About Metallica’s New Album, ’72 Seasons’
The victors in each category will win musical instruments and equipment for their school programs at the values listed above, furnished by Metallica and sponsors including Tama, KHS America, Zildjian, D’Addario, and Gator, in partnership with Sweetwater.
Video submissions for the Metallica Marching Band Competition are due by Nov. 16, 2023, with voting beginning on Nov. 17, 2023. Winners will be selected on Dec. 1, 2023.
To get started and to learn more about the competition, visit the Metallica Marching Band website.
Meanwhile, you can catch Metallica in their natural form playing shows this year and into 2024. Be sure to get your tickets here.
Ranking the Closing Song on Every Metallica Album
We ranked the closing track on every one of Metallica’s studio albums.
Gallery Credit: Philip Trapp + Chuck Armstrong
