Hear Why This Viking Metal Band Should Have Gone To Eurovision

Melburnian viking metal outfit Barbarion have issued a statement to Australian Eurovision organisers SBS denouncing the station's decision to send former Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian to represent the nation instead of literally anyone else.

Although the statement, posted to Facebook by the band yesterday, makes it clear that Barbarion themselves had in fact applied to go to Eurovision, and even submitted a three-minute song — Rock, Down Under — to show that they were serious, the band express their general bemusement at SBS' decision to send "a beige-coloured Volvo full of Subway rolls into a world full of high-camp theatrics and bonkers mayhem".

To wit, say the band, "The bloke's gonna get destroyed".

Many would agree that the selection of the acclaimed Sebastian flies in the face of the spirit of not only Eurovision but the Aussie 'fair go', denying our street-level, hard-working musicians the chance to represent a less-packaged side of our robust creative communities.

"Us Australians love an underdog," Barbarion wrote. "We love watching the little guy punch above his weight. We love the story of the battler. With so many excellent local acts working tirelessly around Australia to entertain the average punter week in, week out, it seemed only appropriate you support them and give them an opportunity to show the world what Australian music really is!"

Acknowledging SBS' status as "the voice of the least-represented in our society", and that "it didn't have to be Barbarion", the band ultimately condemn the Sebastian selection with a scathingly blunt assessment: "You've completely missed the point."

On the plus side, the whole incident has given Barbarion a reason to make public the track they submitted to Eurovision for approval. Fired off last weekend in an effort to "capture the cheese of Eurovision, the great things about Australia, and the might of Barbarion all within 3 minutes", we have to say - SBS should've taken a little more time with its selection, because this is infinitely more entertaining than Like A Drum or any of its album-mates could hope to be.

Check it out, along with the band's full address to SBS, below.