Last month, Hollywood legend William Shatner announced the imminent arrival of his long-awaited heavy metal album, made in conjunction with some of the genre's biggest names: Deep Purple and Rainbow legend Ritchie Blackmore, Ozzy guitarist Zakk Wylde, former Black Flag man Henry Rollins, Tangerine Dream's Edgar Froese and late MC5 axeman Wayne Kramer.
Now he's gone a step further and confirmed the participation of the Metal God himself, Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford, who'll contribute to a cover of Priest's 1982 smash You've Got Another Thing Comin'.
"I’ve always been drawn to the energy and storytelling of heavy metal," says Shatner. "Working with Rob on this track brings that intensity to life in a way that feels both timeless and entirely new."
"One life, I'm gonna live it up!" exclaims Halford, quoting the opening line from You've Got Another Thing Comin'. "William Shatner is boldly doing that more than ever, and I am honoured to reinforce this message with him – ‘taking flight, I said I’ll never get enough!'”
The album will be released via Cleopatra Records, although no release date has been confirmed yet. "I'm honoured to be a part of another chapter in William Shatner's musical journey," says Cleopatra boss Brian Perera, "and celebrating as he goes louder, harder and heavier than ever."
Shatner, who released his debut album The Transformed Man in 1968, has released more than a dozen albums in the years since, building up a stellar list of collaborators including Ben Folds, Joe Jackson, Aimee Mann, Adrian Belew, Sheryl Crow, John Wetton, Patrick Moraz, Peter Frampton, Warren Haynes, Steve Hillage, Michael Schenker, Dave Davies, Johnny Winter, Carmine Appice, Ian Paice and Iggy Pop.
In 2013, Shatner worked with Steve Vai and members of Yes, Hawkwind and The Doors to produce Ponder The Mystery, his first venture into the world of progressive rock.
“I conceived the idea that progressive rock is to music what science fiction is to literature," Shatner told Prog. "There is in science fiction a desire to further the imagination, to take what exists and go further to explore the boundaries, the horizons. In progressive rock you push the music to the edge and discover new ways of doing things.
“Maybe this album is a new way of doing things – I don’t know, but in my experience, this is new. It tantalises you with new ideas of how music and the spoken word – the music of language itself – can combine."
