WILLIAM SHATNER says his heavy metal album will be called 'What The F Is Heavy Metal?'
11-09-2026
In an interview with Michael Moynihan of The Moynihan Report, “Star Trek” legend William Shatner confirmed that he is working on a heavy metal album. The project, which is being driven by a heavyweight production team led by Adam Hamilton (L.A. GUNS, BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE) and Brian Perera, president of Cleopatra Records, with additional production from Derek Hughes (NUCLEAR MESSIAH), Marcus Nand and Jürgen Engler of DIE KRUPPS, will feature guest appearances by several dozen hard rock and heavy metal musicians, including Brian May (QUEEN), Rob Halford (JUDAS PRIEST), John Moyer (DISTURBED) and Dave Lombardo (SLAYER). The 95-year Shatner will also take the stage with his newly formed heavy metal band, THE *UCKERS, at the Riot Fest on Sunday, September 20 at Chicago’s Douglass Park, marking the group’s first-ever live performance.
“I am in a fervor of creativity,” Shatner said. “I am writing books. I’m doing albums. This heavy metal album is like… They want me to do… I’m gonna do a concert. I’m gonna do 30-minute concert — 30 minutes of heavy metal (laughs), with a band. 30 minutes on stage.”
Regarding how the idea for his heavy metal album came about, Shatner said: “Cleopatra, the label that I work with frequently, said to me, ‘Why don’t you do a heavy metal album?’ And I said, ‘What the F is heavy metal?’ Then I heard ‘Patience’, the song ‘Patience’ (by GUNS N’ ROSES). So we write a song called ‘Impatience’. ‘I’m not gonna wait around for you. I’m not waiting for you. Here, read my lips.’ And it’s all about, ‘I’m not waiting around for you. Yeah. You hear me? You hear my lips? I’m not waiting.’ And it’s got that kind of rage and tempo… Impassioned. ‘I’m tired of old age. I’m tired of losing hair. I’m tired of not eating. I’m tired of catching a cold. I’m tired of being tired. I’m tired!'”
After Moynihan noted that it seems like Shatner “loves the music almost as much as anything else”, William said: “The music is a distillation of emotion. It’s so right there.”
As for his vision of the upcoming heavy metal LP, Shatner said: “The name of the album — I hope; I mean, everybody agrees —is ‘What The F Is Heavy Metal?’ That’s the name of the album.”
Shatner explained that he knows “nothing” about heavy metal. “You gotta start with the premise that I really know nothing,” he said. “I’m inquisitive. Apparently, I’m inquisitive, and I’m reading and looking up all the time, stuff. So I began to experiment. I fastened on to emotions. I thought heavy metal has gotta be about emotions — violent, passionate… Not violent — passionate emotions. ‘The Black Sky’ is about what we’re doing to the planet. ‘Impatience’ — don’t keep me waiting. ‘Rage’. Five songs with meaning to me. I’m enraged, I’m angry about, I am disgusted with.”
Asked if he still actually has rage at his age, Shatner responded: “Oh, yeah. I wanna get on my horse and run the way I used to. My legs don’t have the strength that they once had, so I’m careful. I don’t wanna be careful. These albums that I have written with Rob (Shatner‘s longtime friend and collaborator Robert Sharenow) are all personal. They all have to do with my growth.”
As for whether there any heavy metal artists that he likes, Shatner said: “I don’t know. ‘Cause I don’t know their names. Brian May plucks an anguished guitar. It’s crazed. And it moves me. There are 50 well-known heavy metal geniuses who wanna be on the album, led by Brian May. Why? Brian May laid his track down over a song that Rob (Sharenow) and I wrote called ‘Rage’. ‘Rage against the dying of the light,’ to use that — what’s his name’s phrase. That’s the name of the song, and we’ll make it into a music video.”
For Shatner, this is not a novelty move — it is a full-scale artistic statement. At 95, he is leaning into the power, danger and drama of heavy music with the same sense of commitment and conviction that has defined his career across film, television, spoken word and music.
Shatner is also setting out to do something virtually unprecedented — uniting an all-time cast of rock and metal superstars for a single album built on ambition, scale and genuine musical chemistry. The result is a project designed not just to surprise listeners, but to hit with real authority.
Fueled by massive musicianship and a shared appetite for sonic risk, the album blends Shatner‘s commanding vocal presence with the crushing energy of top-tier players and producers who understand how to make heavy music feel cinematic, physical and alive. It reaches back to the spirit of the era when music felt dangerous and larger than life, while pushing forward with a modern intensity all its own.
Shatner has said he feels this music in his bones — as something shattering, youthful and alive — reconnecting him with the visceral thrill of a time when things got truly heavy. That spirit runs through the entire project, which aims to deliver not just star power, but impact.
With additional guest appearances still under wraps, the album is quickly emerging as a major crossover moment: part metal event record, part artistic left turn, and entirely unmistakable in its vision.
More details, including the album title, release date, and additional featured artists, will be announced soon.
William Shatner has cultivated a career spanning over 70 years as an award-winning actor, director, producer, writer, recording artist, and horseman. He is one of Hollywood’s most recognizable figures and a major philanthropist.
“I’ve always been drawn to the energy and storytelling of heavy metal,” said Shatner. “Working with Rob on this track brings that intensity to life in a way that feels both timeless and entirely new.”
Rob Halford adds: “One life I’m gonna live it up!’ William Shatner is boldly doing that more than ever, and I am honored to reinforce this message with him — ‘taking flight I said I’ll never get enough!'”
The upcoming album, currently in production, continues Shatner‘s long-standing exploration of music across genres, pushing boundaries and defying expectations. This latest project leans fully into the heavy metal world, featuring high-profile collaborators and bold reinterpretations of classic songs.
Cleopatra Records founder and head Brian Perera says: “I’m honored to be a part of another chapter in William Shatner‘s musical journey, and celebrating as he goes louder, harder and heavier than ever.”
Indeed, Shatner has already taken a first step into these waters, as part of former MEGADETH guitarist Chris Poland‘s upcoming NUCLEAR MESSIAH project. Their collaboration “Prophet Of Fall-Out” is scheduled as both the all-star aggregation’s next single and video, ahead of the full “Black Flame” album release at the end of April.
Further details about William Shatner‘s album, including additional guest appearances and release dates, will be announced soon.
Shatner has long been attracted to music that challenges boundaries and amplifies storytelling. Over the years, his recordings have attracted a striking range of collaborators across heavy music and beyond — artists chosen for their distinct voices, fearlessness, and credibility.
Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE), Ritchie Blackmore (DEEP PURPLE, RAINBOW), Edgar Froese (TANGERINE DREAM), Wayne Kramer (MC5), Henry Rollins (BLACK FLAG, THE ROLLINS BAND) have all recorded with the legend. Indeed, Shatner‘s history of defying expectations is well documented, and his music has long lived in the space where spoken-word intensity meets cinematic atmosphere. This new album raises the stakes even higher: more artists, more distortion, more drama — and a heavier impact.
“Metal has always been a place where imagination gets loud,” Shatner said. “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.”
Built around massive guitars, cinematic arrangements, and Shatner‘s signature vocal intensity, the record plays like a high-voltage film: sharp turns, dark humor, raw emotion, and moments of unexpected beauty. The result is an event album — designed not as a novelty, but as a statement, uniting a legion of metal’s most respected musicians under one uniquely singular vision.
The catalyst for the project came with Shatner‘s involvement in the upcoming NUCLEAR MESSIAH album “Black Flame”, voicing an intro piece created with Chris Poland, the ex-MEGADETH guitarist and a widely revered metal innovator. That collaboration didn’t just set a tone — it sparked Shatner‘s inspiration to build a full-scale metal album with elite metal talent.
“When NUCLEAR MESSIAH came to life, something clicked,” Shatner 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.”
Adding to the momentum, metal guitar icon Zakk Wylde personally gifted Shatner a guitar, a gesture Shatner describes as unexpected and deeply motivating.
“I’ve spent a lifetime exploring in both reality and fiction,” said Shatner. “Now I am stepping out into the unknown once again with my new project in heavy metal. I am covering BLACK SABBATH, JUDAS PRIEST and IRON MAIDEN as well as a number of new songs written by my team. The whole project is destined for this year. I hope you will join me in the exploration.”
Additional album details — including title, track list, release date, lead single, and the full roster of featured artists — will be revealed soon.
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