Unless you’ve been living in a Sarlacc Pit for the last few years, it’s fair to assume you might have noticed that Star Wars is popular again. After a decade of Prequel Trilogy hangover, Disney’s intervention, and the subsequent release of The Force Awakens and Rogue One, has given fans the world over a reason to believe again. It’s not difficult to pinpoint what people love about the (good) Star Wars movies: awesome characters, iconic production design, breathless action, gold bikinis (RIP Carrie). But one of the most unforgettable and important aspects of the saga from the opening seconds of A New Hope onward has been John Williams’ legendary score. The master composer’s music has adorned many of cinema’s greatest works over the past 50 years, however it wouldn’t be a stretch to suggest that the themes Williams crafted for Star Wars are among his best.
The music from the movies has been reinterpreted many times over the years, mostly in the form of horrible dance music, dub reggae or actually pretty spectacular disco. Now, however, the time has come for the crushing metal power of Galactic Empire to cast its shadow over John Williams’ supreme compositions. Formed a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, the band first caught public attention towards the end of 2015 when they dropped a video for their djent-y take on the Star Wars main theme. Having racked up more than 3 million views on YouTube, it’s fair to say that the track was immensely popular, so much so that the band were able to successfully crowdfund $61,000 to record an entire album and put together a tour in support of it. Fast forward to now, and the fruit of their nefarious loins has come to pass in the form of ‘Galactic Empire’, their self-titled debut.
Kicking off with the previously released main theme, it’s clear pretty quickly what to expect from this album as a whole: crisp, clinical, modern metal versions of key pieces of music from the entire spectrum of the Star Wars saga (yes, even the prequels), performed with high levels of technical proficiency and very little in the way of ‘feel’. If that last part seems harsh, it’s not meant as a knock on Galactic Empire’s approach or intention with this project; it’s clear that a Star Wars-themed heavy metal album could only be the work of adoring and reverent fans, and the band’s genuine passion for the material here is clear throughout. If nothing else, purely from the level of attention to detail they have for even the smallest parts of each musical arrangement. It’s really more a comment on this kind of largely instrumental, progressive polyrhythmic metal in general: there comes a point where the guitars are so polished and precisely played and the drums so heavily triggered that it ceases to sound like music played by actual people and more like a very well programmed midi sequence. It’s something that’s prevalent in the vast majority of ‘djent’ and sadly is something that Galactic Empire have not been able to rise above here.
All of that said, it’s difficult not to be swept away by the band’s enthused and undeniably crunchy and heavy takes on some of the greatest bits of the Star Wars soundtracks. ‘Imperial March’ retains its sense of dread whilst throwing in some inventive off-time chugs countering the main melody, whilst ‘Duel Of The Fates’ (aka The Only Good Thing About The Phantom Menace) brings in some ominous choral voices and a flurry of blastbeats that lead to its exhilarating conclusion. The band know how to have fun too, throwing in a bouncy version of ‘Cantina Band’, a gambit that might not have paid off were it not for some intense drum work from, ahem, ‘Boba Sett’.
Ultimately, Galactic Empire are a novelty band, and though there is some genuinely great arrangement and playing on their self-titled debut, it’s pretty much exactly what you’d expect from an album of metal versions of Star Wars music. But what the band do they do with a top-tier level of skill, and clear unabashed love for the source material. There might not be much of an audience for the band outside of the pre-existing Star Wars fan base, but then again who isn’t a fan of Star Wars? As long as Disney keep rolling out new movies and not horribly messing things up (do we need to mention the prequels again at this point?), there will be an audience for all manner of Star Wars geekery, and Galactic Empire could very well act as a gateway for many Star Wars fans into the world of heavy metal, which can only be a good thing. Simply put, you can’t repel riffs of this magnitude.
JAMES LEE