10 Best Hard Rock & Heavy Metal Live Bands Of 2017

For any Star Wars fan, a Galactic Empire show is the most fun you can have at a metal concert. With the instrumental five-piece all elaborately dressed up as your favourite villains from a galaxy far, far away, this cosmic gathering is, like Ghost, a treat for both the eyes and ears.

Armed with three lead guitars, the group lay out masterful metal covers of John Williams’s timeless symphonies, from the grandeur and terror of the “Imperial March” to the romantic “Across the Stars”.

Highlights of any Galactic Empire show include a full-on shred to the notorious Cantina Bar theme, a malfunctioning Death Star and Darth Vader randomly plucking someone out of the crowd and choking them to death (it’s more jovial than it sounds).

Galactic Empire’s dedication to one of the most popular and clung-to franchises of all time has undeniably given them a huge appeal ever since they first started making waves, with the hype aided by their recent debut album as well as a successful Kickstarter campaign to keep the band afloat. They’re a viral hit thanks to their online cover of the main Star Wars theme, and this year they proved that they can succeed just as magnificently in real life, too.