William Shatner, 94, Is Releasing a Heavy Metal Album. Seriously.
Star Trek legend William Shatner surprised sci-fi fans with a bizarre announcement. The 94-year-old actor said he will not only be releasing more music, but a heavy metal album.
Shatner made the announcement in an Instagram post on Feb. 19. The social media-savvy senior citizen posted a rather blurry photo (that may or may not be AI generated) of himself holding a guitar with a long caption revealing his latest project.
"This project is, quite literally, a gathering of forces," he wrote. "Loud imagination. Honest intensity. Unapologetic exploration." He added, "At 94, one does not slow down. One turns the volume up."
William Shatner Actually Has a Large Music Discography
The currently untitled album will feature both original songs and classic covers. Shatner mentioned he'll be covering Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and Judas Priest. Hopefully he still has lung capacity after.
Shatner has put out several albums over his multi-decade career. His first album, The Transformed Man, came out all the way back in 1968.
50 years later in 2018, he released a Christmas album called Shatner Claus. If you want a preview of what his heavy metal album might sound like, this might just be the place to start. The last song on the album is a punk rock cover of "Jingle Bells" featuring Black Flag vocalist Henry Rollins.
Shatner's most recent musical release was a 2024 children's album called Where Will the Animals Sleep?
In addition to music, the 94-year-old star also has a book available for pre-order, William Shatner... and You. The book will feature accounts from fans as well as some interviews between fans and Shatner himself. Shatner's famous friends will also be featured. On Feb. 17, he posted a photo of himself with "Weird Al" Yankovic, writing that he had just interviewed the "Amish Paradise" singer for the book.
