It's a gutsy move to go into battle against U.S. Marines — even if you're a band member and the weapon of choice is a snare drum.

Members of the Japan-based III Marine Expeditionary Force band recently faced off against the Republic of Korea Army Band in a drum battle captured in a now-viral YouTube video. The video was posted Oct. 9 by Sgt. Benito Hijar, who is identified on Facebook as a trombonist with III MEF's band. It shows the two bands' drum sections during some down time in the parking lot of the 2014 Gyeryong Military Culture Festival, held Sept. 26 to Oct. 6 in South Korea.

Staff Sgt. James Holt, the band's drum major, flips a coin to determine which band will perform first. The ROK drum section wins the toss and delivers a sharp, technical routine, complete with cymbals.

Bystanders from both bands applaud.

Then it's the Marines' turn. After a few moments of deliberation, they advance on their South Korean counterparts until the two drum lines are face-to-face. The ensuing routine — during which the Marines make use of their own drums and their competitors' — has to be seen to be believed. Partway through, a few ROK band members start dancing to the beat.

At the end, Holt asks the crowd to signify the winners of the drum battle through applause.

"It's a tie!" he announces good-naturedly.

In two weeks, the video has gotten nearly 2½ million views on YouTube. Marine Corps Times reached out to Hijar and III MEF to learn more about what went into this epic drum-off.

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