COLUMBIA — The University of South Carolina marching band must have slept with one eye open last night, if its members could even sleep at all following its exciting win.
Metallica shared with the world Jan. 30 after seeing the Gamecocks band rock out in performing its music inside Williams-Brice Stadium. The metal legends selected the USC marching band from a national competition to record its music for a future video game from EA Sports.
“Last year, we challenged college marching bands to come up with the most exciting, unique, and impressive performances featuring our music,” the Grammy-winning band wrote on X.
Metallica’s Robert Trujillo announced the winners of the 3rd Annual Metallica Marching Band Competition — Collegiate Edition in a video that followed.
“It’s been inspiring to witness each of the submissions as they are filled with amazing performances, teamwork and the spirit of music,” Trujillo said.
The bassist then pulled on a USC ball cap before announcing the University of South Carolina band as the winner.
“Congratulations, you’ve done it!” he said.
USC, along with six other Division I schools, will have the chance to record both a Metallica song and the EA Sports College football theme song to be included in the EA Sports College video game.
For its entry, South Carolina submitted it halftime performance during the Oct. 18 home football game versus Oklahoma.
The school noted that even though the 2025 season shows were already determined ahead of the contest, the band swiftly adjusted to prepare a Metallica-themed performance for submission.
Its set list included “Master of Puppets” and “Lux Aeterna,” both pre-arranged for marching bands by Metallica. USC also submitted a version of its arrangement of “Enter Sandman” by USC School of Music graduate assistant Ben Pouncey.
While USC won the battle of the marching bands, five other school bands were also selected by the “Whiplash” musicians. Those are: Virginia Tech, University of Illinois, Riverside (Calif.) City College, Bridgewater (Va.) College and Indiana Wesleyan University.
In announcing its win, the University of South Carolina band shared it would record both a still-unnamed Metallica song and the “Campus Clash” opening theme song. The Carolina band will also receive $50,000.
EA Sports will send a recording team to the university this spring to capture the band’s performances, USC said. The recordings will be released on Spotify.
“Thank you once again to all the bands for their performances and for showcasing incredible talent within their schools,” Trujillo sounded off at the end of the video. “We encourage everyone to supporting your marching bands. these young musicians represent the future of music and performance.”
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