If you’ve ever wondered what “Star Wars” might sound like if John Williams had written it for a circle pit, Galactic Empire has your ticket. The galaxy’s favorite cosplay metal band plays Ybor City’s Crowbar this fall with Athens, Georgia’s video-game-shredding outfit Bit Brigade in tow.

The stop comes just weeks after the band drops Cinemetal, its new album out Oct. 24, which assembles big-screen themes from across fandom and gives them a metal overhaul. The tracklist runs the gamut from “Superman” and “Batman” to “Harry Potter”, “Jurassic Park” and “Lord of the Rings”. Latest single “Avengers” finds the band stepping outside the Lucasfilm universe entirely to take on Alan Silvestri’s Marvel Studios score.

Formed in 2016, Galactic Empire first went viral in December 2015 with their heavy metal cover of the iconic Star Wars theme, “The Imperial March”. The helmet-wearing video of the Star Wars main theme, racking up more than 10 million views. Since then, they’ve dropped multiple albums, signed with Pure Noise Records, and toured the world while racking up appearances at comic cons, sporting events, and festivals. The band has even shared bills with Ozzy Osbourne and Babymetal.

This fall’s tour follows a summer run with NiNi and a stint aboard Coheed and Cambria’s S.S. Neverender cruise. For the Ybor show, Galactic Empire shares the stage with Bit Brigade, which famously perform classic NES and Sega soundtracks live in sync with a gamer speed-running through the levels onstage. Think “The Legend of Zelda” or “Mega Man” with face-melting solos.

Tickets start at $33.53 for Galactic Empire and Bit Brigade happening Saturday, Nov. 15 at Crowbar in Ybor City. They’re on sale now via crowbarybor.com.

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