2015 was the year that I really fell in love with Star Wars. It was the year of The Force Awakens, a cinematic event that at that point I had never seen such a level of hype for. That opening night theatrical experience remains the most memorable time I’ve ever had in a theater.
It was also the year that the band Galactic Empire went absolutely viral with their own love of the franchise in the form of metal covers of John Williams’ iconic score. In the years since, they’ve recorded more covers of Star Wars music that’s continued to excite Star Wars fans all over the world.
Now with a new album, Cinemetal, out October 24th, they’ve branched out to other film scores such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Jurassic Park, and even Godzilla and The Terminator.
Touring through the month of August to promote the record, Galactic Empire stopped by at The Rock Box here in San Antonio to perform it all, and it was such a blast into space for me to hear these timeless songs with so much hardcore shredding.
When I first walked in, all I heard was “Zombie” by the Cranberries, but in the style of what sounded like a Chinese electric guitar, and I was immediately locked in.
These were the sounds of the tour’s opening act, NiNi, a Taiwanese artist performing on what’s called a DaoYu. This mixes the sound of Chinese instruments with the shredding of metal, and I was riveted seeing that blend come together during her set. It’s a unique kind of sound that she’s bringing over to the States, and along with her passionate intensity and great skill working the crowd, I can definitely see her continue to grow even more.
Seeing the fans that came out was so enjoyable too as it was truly an all-ages show. I saw parents there with their young kids, a reminder of how Star Wars has always bridged generations.
A few people there came decked out in Jedi costumes, while more brought their lightsabers out. I constantly saw flashes of green, red and blue held high for the entire night.
When it was time for Galactic Empire to take us to space, they dramatically took the stage and started it off just the way you’d see it when sitting down for an adventure in a galaxy far, far away with the 20th Century Fox fanfare going right into the main intro song.
Such an epic way to start things off.
They shredded all the iconic franchise themes throughout the night such as the Imperial March, the Force Theme, and even the newer stuff with the Mandalorian melodies being played as well.
They keep the galactic theme very strong even between songs as well. They’d talk to the audience still masked by acting out pre-recorded messages, with their voices sounding just like the Sith in the movies.
It felt like I was transported to a musically lively version of the Death Star.
The energy really went up a notch when they performed the Cantina Band song, with one of the band members jumping into the crowd and dancing with all the fans, surrounding him in a circle wherever he moved and hyping him up.
It was like an intergalactic, metallic dance circle.
When they went into the other films, it was a very fun way to switch up the vibe for just a bit. With the recent Superman film coming out, hearing that original score was great, as well as for Pirates, which is another one of my all-time favorite film scores.
My friend, Isaiah, who is neither a metalhead nor a huge Star Wars fan, absolutely geeked out when they played the Godzilla song. He ended up having a very good time.
Returning to the Star Wars theme, the band fittingly played the films’ end credits music before leaving the stage for an encore, even though one of the soldier bandmates accidentally revealed the surprise of them coming back for it. After some funny banter off-stage, they came back to blast into their encore which was the best final song I could have ever asked for.
Duel of the Fates is my favorite piece of Star Wars music by far, one of my favorite pieces of film music ever to be written, and by far the best part of The Phantom Menace. Hearing this in metal form was unbelievable, with the breakdowns in the song and the surprising moshpit that opened going so hard in a way that would make John Williams proud.
This concert served as such a fitting tribute to the classic John Williams scores, and it was a perfect mesh for all the metalheads in attendance who have admired these movies all their lives. Even the kids that were there with their big protective headphones were dancing around and headbanging like Metallica was right in front of them.
Galactic Empire has truly brought two worlds together that I would have never thought would be together and they’re made to be perfect for each other here. I can’t wait for this band to keep performing Star Wars music, tap into more film scores, and continue to fully unleash the dark side.
