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Posted on 02/20/2026 12:18:33 PM PST by nickcarraway
The ‘Star Trek’ alum called the album a ‘gathering of forces.’
Are you ready to join Captain Kirk—aka William Shatner—to boldly headbang where no one has headbanged before?
Shatner, 94, announced on Feb. 19 that he will soon release a heavy metal album on Cleopatra Records. The project, whose title or release date hasn’t been revealed, will pair the Star Trek alum with 35 handpicked metal icons.
“Metal has always been a place where imagination gets loud,” said Shatner in a statement. “This album is a gathering of forces—each artist bringing their fire, their precision, their chaos. I chose them because they have something to say, and because metal demands honesty.”
Shatner says he was inspired to tackle this after working with Nuclear Messiah, a metal supergroup led by former Megadeth guitarist Chris Poland. Shatner recorded a spoken-word intro for their upcoming album, Black Flame. The experience was transcendent for the sci-fi icon.
“When Nuclear Messiah came to life, something clicked,” he said. “It wasn’t just a track—it was a doorway. It made me want to go all the way in, bring in the best metal players I could find, and create something fearless.”
The album will feature covers of Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest songs, alongside a few originals. “I’ve spent a lifetime exploring in both reality and fiction,” Shatner said. “Now I am stepping out into the unknown once again with my new project in heavy metal… The whole project is destined for this year. I hope you will join me in the exploration.”
Though William Shatner will forever be celebrated as one of television’s greatest actors, he has also a lengthy career as a recording artist. He released his first spoken-word album, The Transformed Man, in 1968.
However, when it comes to music, he’s best known for his performance of Elton John’s “Rocket Man” at the 1978 Saturn Awards. While wearing a ruffled tuxedo shirt and bow tie, Shatner seemingly smoked a cigarette while dramatically reciting the song’s lyrics. Through late-70s television technology, multiple Shatners joined in for a performance that was high art and pure camp.
His other notable releases have been 2004’s Has Been, which featured Henry Rollins, Ben Folds, Adrian Belew, Aimee Mann and Joe Jackson. Shatner’s cover of Pulp’s “Common People” was an early 2000s radio oddity.
In 2011, Shatner released Seeking Major Tom, an album that mixed rock and spoken word. It also featured performances by Zakk Wydle, Sheryl Crow, Alan Parsons, Peter Frampton, Bootsy Collins, Brad Paisley, and Ritchie Blackmore.
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Ping
LOL 94 and still enjoying life making a name for himself.
Truely he is Captain Kirk
This definitely wasn’t on my Bingo card for 2026.
As long as he doesn’t try to sing, again.
I’ve never seen an episode of Star Trek, know nothing about Shatner. I did read somewhere that ‘50s singer Pat Boone tried his hand at hard rock, in his senior years...
Couldn’t he just buy an old red Vette?
I wonder if when he was on the TV show in 1964, he had any idea he would one day go into space..
In the Star Trek movie Generations, you get to see some of the amazing William Shatner as Captain Kirk.
His horsemanship is amazing. He raises horses in real life.
His infectious smile is one for the ages.
Whatever you think of the entire movie, just enjoy the Captain Kirk.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co2ZVdVM26E&list=RDCo2ZVdVM26E&start_r
I hope it is like this.
William Shatner Rocketman circa 1978.
Song starts @ 30 seconds.
“Lucy in the sky... with... DIAMONDS!” lol
He recorded six albums as I recall; Leonard Nimoy did seven.
Maybe we’ll get lucky and he’ll do this album in Esperanto. lol
He’s been there, done that. :-)
OMG
The GOAT....
Maybe he can do a duet with Robert Wagner.
And I loved this:
LINK: Denny Crane (William Shatner) from "Boston Law" Shoots Mugger
Hahahahahaha! "Thank God for guns, huh Jerry? Only In America...Sweet Land of Liberty Valance!"
Not his first musical foray:
Standout track by Leonard Nimoy:
https://youtu.be/QuQbus0xfhk?si=xUA-F4G8tjqXsKaG
TV commercial where Nimoy sings the same song:
https://youtu.be/UengULt6t7Q?si=5p2n6z9ko8ySN-Ja
Some of Shatner‘s fellow actors have criticized him for being egotistical. I’m okay with that. After all, he was the star of the show.
What I really like about the guy is that he doesn’t preach to the rest of us. To my knowledge, he hasn’t told us who to vote for, or what “green” appliance we must buy.
Bill Shatner stays in his lane.
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