Williams-Brice Stadium got a jolt of heavy metal at halftime last fall, and now that sound could land USC’s Carolina Band in college football’s biggest video game. The Mighty Sound of the Southeast was named the Division I grand-prize winner in Metallica’s national collegiate marching band competition, recognized for a halftime performance that brought the band’s music and logo to the field.
Their October set featured “Lux Aeterna,” “Enter Sandman” (arranged by grad assistant Ben Pouncey), and “Master of Puppets.” Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo announced the win on social media — Gamecock hat and all — selecting Carolina’s performance from dozens of entries.
The band now gets $50,000, new equipment, and the chance to record both a Metallica song and the “Campus Clash” theme for the upcoming EA Sports College Football video game. Both tracks will be released on Spotify, and EA Sports will send a crew to Cola this spring to capture the sessions.
