Cosmic pirates and illustrious drumming, Galactic Empire has released a new cover
The time has come for the merging of two iconic experiences— a juxtaposition of prog metal and Captain Jack Sparrow. Galactic Empire, a musical group renowned for their cinematic music covers, has taken on the Pirates of the Caribbean theme song.
The group, signed by Pure Noise Records in 2022, is forwardly a Star Wars tribute, however often ventures into the realm of separate franchises. Through their music, they explore new versions of past scores through the use of headbanging beats, distorted guitar, and heavy fuzz—in other words, metal.
This carries into the new release, which boasts a five minutes of multi-layered cinematic drama of the Pirates’ theme. The original song exists perfectly in the context which it was produced for. It is a dynamic musical experience, felt through rapidly growing crescendos and consistent suspense, supportive of The Black Pearl and its inhabitants.
Galactic Empire’s cover of the
Pirates of the Caribbean theme song was released July 30, 2025.
Galactic Empire’s version was laden with nuance and originality. It is guitar forward, unlike the first rendition, and holds space for the drummer and co-producer Grant McFarland’s hypnotizing control over percussion. Even sonically, the group seems to circle back to the absurdist humor it has always exhibited. Inherently, accompanying the new release is the overarching intrigue of the heavy metal genre mixing with the themesong. In-line with the group’s persistent humor, lead guitarist, Lord Sihk shared a message accompanying the new release:
“Behold, our new single ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’. We have been playing this arrangement live for some time and now it is finally available on all of your human DSPs. This new devastating sonic assault explores the swashbuckling score by Hans Zimmer and Klaus Badelt and features laser-powered solos by Galactic allies CJ Masciantonio and Clint Tustin. Enlist in the Empire now by pre-ordering the ultimate planet-destroying new album CINEMETAL, savvy?”"
The group found major viral success in 2016 after the release of their first music video, Star Wars’ Imperial March. Since then the group has accrued a long list of movie score covers including Harry Potter, Back To The Future, Lord Of The Rings, Batman and The Avengers, which will appear on the group’s upcoming album release, Cinemetal.
The album is set to release on October 24 is available for preorder. The band will also begin their tour this summer, alongside folk metal artist, NiNi. They are set to start in Cleveland, Ohio, and eventually make their way all the way to Cozumel, Mexico.
The new cover is quirky, quippy, and exciting, as is exhibited through most of the Galactic Empire’s music. It instills the adventurous tones of the original Hans Zimmer version, however is sonically new and different. Galactic Empire, again, has produced an out of this world experience.
