Galactic Empire is a novelty act but it's a clever one: it's a gang of prog-metal musicians, all disguised as evil Star Wars characters, playing music from
George Lucas' creation. Hearing some hardcore shredding on these familiar space themes first inspires a chuckle, then some admiration, because this crew of metal musicians -- featuring guitarists from
Unparalleled Height and a rhythm section from
Century -- has the chops. Such virtuosity elevates
Galactic Empire from being more than a simple joke, although it's unclear whether this is an album that will sustain repeat listens: like many stunts, it's less impressive the second time around. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine