Metallica Marching Band Competition

SBO Staff • News • April 26, 2023

Metallica is bringing metal to marching bands! The legendary thrash-metal icons are sponsoring their inaugural national Metallica Marching Band Competition, with more than $150,000 in prizes. Presented by Sweetwater, TAMA, KHS America, Zildjian, D’Addario, Gator, and Hal Leonard, this competition is open for high school–level and collegiate marching bands to submit performances of selected Metallica songs.


Available Songs Include:

  • “Enter Sandman”
  • “Master of Puppets”
  • “One”
  • “Fuel”
  • “Lux Æterna”
  • “For Whom the Bell Tolls”
  • “Creeping Death”
  • “Fade to Black”
  • “Wherever I May Roam”
  • “Sad but True”
  • “Seek & Destroy”
  • “The Unforgiven”
  • “Hit the Lights”

Winners Will Be Selected from 5 Categories:

Collegiate: Division 1 — $75,000 in Prizes

Collegiate: Division 2 & 3 — $40,000 in Prizes

High School — $15,000 in Prizes

Fan Favorite: Collegiate (Across All Divisions) — $10,000 in Prizes

Fan Favorite: High School — $10,000 in Prizes

Winners will be selected by professional judges and by popular vote. The victors in every category will receive musical instruments and equipment for their school programs at the values listed above, furnished by Metallica and the competition’s sponsors.


How to Enter

To enter the Metallica Marching Band Competition, click here. But wait — since the competition is sure to be pretty brutal, let Sweetwater help you level the playing field with some metal-ready gear upgrades. Visit the Sweetwater Instrument Rental webpage for more details!

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