Galactic Empire

Galactic Empire is a quartet of prog-metal musicians who came up with a novel idea for a group: turn the music of the Star Wars universe into vehicles for metallic shredding, then perform dressed as Darth Vader, Boba Fett, Stormtroopers, and other Sith lords. Guitarists Josh Willis, C.J. Masciantonio, Chris Kelly, drummer Grant McFarland, and bassist Carson Slovak -- Willis and Masciantonio both played in Unparalleled Height; Slovak and McFarland were in Century -- unveiled their Galactic Empire act via YouTube in December 2015, debuting with a version of the Star Wars "Main Theme," which was followed in the spring of 2016 by their take on "The Imperial March." By May, the group had started a crowd-funding campaign to record an album and tour, hitting their targets in the middle of summer. Rise Records signed the band and their eponymous debut arrived in February 2017. The following year saw the release of the aptly named Episode II, which focused on the Star Wars sequels. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi