METALLICA Announces Winners Of 'For Whom The Band Tolls!' Collegiate Edition Marching Band Competition

METALLICA has announced the winners of the latest edition of its "For Whom The Band Tolls!" marching band competition.

When the competition was first announced last year, METALLICA challenged marching bands at all collegiate levels to craft the most exciting, unique, and impressive performances of METALLICA's music.

Marching bands who entered the competition got access to Hal Leonard sheet music of METALLICA songs for their instruments. The songs available included "Seek & Destroy" and "Hit The Lights" from "Kill 'Em All" (1983),"For Whom The Bell Tolls" and "Fade To Black" from "Ride The Lightning" (1984); "Master Of Puppets" from the album of the same name (1986); "…And Justice For All" and "One" from the album "…And Justice For All" (1988); "Enter Sandman", "Sad But True" and "Wherever I May Roam" from "Metallica" or the Black Album (1991),"Until It Sleeps" from "Load" (1996),"Fuel" from "Reload" (1997),and "Lux Æterna" from "72 Seasons" (2023).

The collegiate video submissions were due by November 1, and the fan voting period was from November 4 to November 30. Winners were narrowed down to five finalists by professional high school judges, and METALLICA selected the final prize winners in each category.

Fan-favorite winners were the result of fan voting. Bands not wishing to compete for prizes were able to sign up to participate in the Showcase category. Those videos were featured on the contest submission page but were not voted on by judges or fans.

The members of METALLICA selected the winning performances, who will win musical equipment for their school program.

Says METALLICA: "Last year, we challenged marching bands at all collegiate levels to come up with the most exciting, unique, and impressive performances of our songs. The submissions are in, we've watched the videos, and we're thrilled to announce that the University of South Carolina has taken the top prize in the 2025 Collegiate Edition of the annual competition. Congratulations Gamecocks! A huge thank you to all the incredible bands who participated this year.

"The winners across seven categories will receive more than $165,000 in total prizes. In an exciting twist on our second 'For Whom The Band Tolls' competition, this year's first-place Division 1 winner will have the opportunity to record a METALLICA song and the EA SPORTS College Football Theme Song, both to be included in the EA SPORTS College Football video game!

"The victors in each category will receive instruments and equipment for their programs provided by us with the support of our generous sponsors, including Sweetwater, TAMA, Hal Leonard, KHS America, and more."

Visit metallicamarchingband.com for more information.