10 Star Wars-themed metal bands that could definitely make the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs
May the 4th be with you.
Lest you think that every metal band only sings about death, destruction and the devil, I’m here to tell you that Star Wars metal is a thing and you need to know about it. On this day when fans celebrate all things from a galaxy far, far away, here are ten bands that have taken their Star Wars fandom to new levels by creating sci-fi metal tailor-made for cranking up at maximum volume while you bullseye womp rats in your T-16.
1. GALACTIC EMPIRE
Perhaps the best known Star Wars-themed metal band thanks to their viral version of the “Imperial March,” Galactic Empire are super fun. They play instrumental versions of John Williams’ classic Star Wars music as heard in the original films, but in a much heavier and very technical metal style. They also dress the part in videos and live in concert, with lead guitarist Dark Vader dressed as everyone’s favorite Sith Lord, drummer Boba Sett dressed as everyone’s favorite bounty hunter, guitarist Red Guard dressed as one of the Emperor’s Royal Guards, guitarist Shadow Ranger dressed as Kylo Ren and bassist Bass Commander dressed as a Stormtrooper. In classic Star Wars fashion, the band has recently re-released their 2017 self-titled debut album in a new “Special Edition” featuring new bonus tracks, including a metal version of the Indiana Jones theme. Galactic Empire’s record label Pure Noise Records describes them as “the galaxy’s favorite metal band.” No argument here. And the hilariously awesome video for their version of the original Star Wars theme shows that these guys don’t take themselves too seriously despite being top-notch musicians.
2. HOTH
If you’re a fan of both Star Wars and extreme metal, it probably comes as no surprise that the frozen, forbidding world of the ice planet Hoth inspired the formation of a black metal duo from Seattle. Though they’ve recently expanded their lyrical repertoire to include black magic and Norse mythology, Hoth’s first two full-length albums (Infinite Darkness and Oathbreaker, respectively) are all full-on love letters to the original trilogy. That being said, there are no happy Ewoks dancing in celebration here; Hoth explore the darkness and tragedy that are just as much a part of Star Wars lore as plucky droids and beautiful princesses. Though surprisingly melodic for black metal, songs like “Ghosts Of Alderaan,” “Torn Asunder By A Wampa,” “The Frozen Wastes Of Hoth” and “A Blighted Hope” will take you on a bleak but hypnotic journey through the galaxy’s many terrors while perfectly capturing the hopelessness of life under the Empire. Chilling stuff (pun intended). If you’re not careful, Hoth will definitely lead you to the Dark Side.
3. BOSSK
British band Bossk took their name from a bounty hunter character that first appeared in The Empire Strikes Back, but they don’t necessarily write songs about Star Wars per se. Much of their work is of the atmospheric, mostly instrumental post-metal variety with occasional blackened sludgy flourishes. And while their lyrics may not be directly inspired by the classic trilogy, songs like “Truth” from their second EP .2 , with lyrics like “Floating in the dead of space/ 30 seconds to the end…we all fall into the dark/ floating away to fragile stars…” sound like they could’ve been written by one of the Empire’s victims from the planet Alderaan after the Death Star destroyed it.
4. SARLACC
On their Bandcamp profile, Sarlacc (named after the creature that lives in a desert pit on Tatooine in Return Of The Jedi) perfectly describe their sound as “Heavy music of varying velocities, stained by Star Wars, hailing from Pittsburgh and performed by two.” Yup, that about sums it up. But to get a little more specific, the duo plays grindcore (a sort of combination of extreme metal and hardcore punk) with humorous Star Wars-themed lyrics and short songs. Like, really short. And really funny. Here are all the lyrics to their twelve second ditty “Han Solo’s Black Vest”:
“This vest is for aesthetic and pimping purposes only/ Space chicks dig it and I look fucking good!”
5. VADER
Polish death metal veterans Vader have been punishing eardrums since 1983. They started out playing traditional heavy metal, but soon morphed into a power/speed metal band before evolving into the thrashy death metal juggernaut that they are today. They don’t actually sing about anything Star Wars related, and when they do venture into sci-fi lyrical territory, it’s usually from an H.P. Lovecraft/cosmic horror perspective, which works well with the pummeling riffs and the gruff vocals of founder/guitarist/singer Peter Wiwczarek. Still, Darth Vader did inspire their name, and that’s a good enough reason to earn them a spot on this list. Fun fact: the video for Vader’s 1992 track “Dark Age” may have been the first video by a Polish artist to be played on MTV in America.
6. BANTHA RIDER
I’m really drawn to lyrics and vocals, so I’m usually not a fan of bands that only play instrumental music. But man, this just undeniably rips. Another band hailing from Poland, Bantha Rider play bass-heavy instrumental stoner doom, with Star Wars inspired song titles like “Rancor’s Delight,” “March Of The Banthas,” and “Sarlacc’s Pit.” My favorite BR track would have to be “Sandcrawler.” Whenever I hear it, I just picture a laid back Jawa in the driver’s seat of the titular vehicle, one hand on the wheel, the other out the window flicking the ash from a cigarette, bitchin’ stereo (with 8-track, naturally) cobbled together from stolen land speeder components cranking this tune as he tools around the Tatooine desert lookin’ for kicks, chicks and spare parts to sell to unsuspecting moisture farmers and their whiney nephews.
7. BOWCASTER
You might not know what a bowcaster is, and that’s OK; it just means you’re not a giant dork like me, and that’s probably a good thing. Anyway, a bowcaster is the laser crossbow weapon used by Chewbacca in the Star Wars movies. Bowcaster is also a band from Australia, with a sound that is equal parts metal, punk, noise rock and hardcore. Their first release was a 7” single in 2011 called “Taunton” (backed with the b-side “Thermal Detonator”) and their self-titled full-length album from 2013 features an all Star Wars tracklist with songs like “Luminous Beings Are We,” “Battle Of Yavin,” and “Dark Side.” It’s loud, it’s distorted, it’s Star Wars…what more do you need?
8. MANDALORE
If you’ve ever listened to Hatebreed and thought, “This is OK, but it needs more Star Wars,” then Mandalore might be what you’re looking for. Hailing from Salt Lake City, Utah, these guys play metal-tinged hardcore and have 2 EP’s and one standalone single under their belts so far. A lot of their songs are about being angry and straight edge, but if you’re looking for the Star Wars angle, check out their 2018 EP It Was Made By Those Who Are Dead, which features a song called “Revenge For Alderaan” and another called “Betrayal” all about Lando Calrissian selling out Han Solo to the Empire in The Empire Strikes Back.
9. DARTH BROOKS
A mostly instrumental band from Seattle, Darth Brooks released one self-titled EP in 2016. The songs all have one-word Star Wars-related titles like “Hope,” “Empire” and “Cantina.” Musically, it’s fairly standard power/trad metal with occasional nods to John Williams’ themes from the original trilogy’s soundtracks. Also, the name “Darth Brooks” is objectively hilarious, which is why they made it onto this list.
10. AL GOREGRIND
Another band with a name that makes me chuckle, Frankfurt, Germany’s Al Goregrind do indeed play goregrind, a mix of grindcore and death metal. Their lyrics are deliberately over the top, tongue in cheek and juvenile. If you’re easily offended, this band is definitely not for you (they have an entire album called Asses, with songs about all things ass-releated). They also frequently write about Star Wars, especially on their 2016 album Crushing The Feeble, a record that’s loaded with Star Wars songs like “Superstardestroyer,” “Jedi Scum,” and “Wookie Rampage.” They even give a shout-out to Star Trek with the album’s closing track “He’s Dead Jim.”
There you have it, young Jedi. Your Star Wars metal training is now complete. Go forth and restore order to the galaxy. Or go waste time with your friends at Tosche station. Whichever.
