Of everyone releasing a heavy metal album in 2026, few would have thought William Shatner would do it. The more you think about it, the more likely it will be. Not only was William Shatner the legend who starred in Star Trek, he’s also the legend who boarded a Blue Origin flight into space at the age of ninety, so he’s not exactly averse to retiring a little differently.
Not to mention, he’s Canadian, and Canadians have a knack for trying unconventional projects. Whether it’s Ryan Reynolds buying Wrexham FC in 2021, or Seth Rogen suddenly becoming a regular on a Netflix cooking show, there seems to be something in the Canadian waters that encourages entertainers to go beyond the expected.
Should we be surprised that Shatner is both a heavy metal fan and also uses heavy metal as a vehicle for more artistic exploration? No.
Heavy metal has long been a key genre in popular music, attracting all kinds of devoted and casual listeners. But it has also been a genre that wants to go beyond its own boundaries. Take Avenged Sevenfold, for example, who did a VR concert back in 2024. Their set was performed in their ‘Hail to the King’ environment, giving the audience a whole new perspective on the band’s live show with effects and visuals that felt appropriate for the genre. It was not an interactive experience, which may well be heavy metal’s next innovation, especially as other sectors incorporate interactive elements into their digital live shows: players can engage with dealers in a live casino in Canada, able to bridge the digital divide and be social, professional and real at home and in a production studio.
Shatner, despite his space-faring ambitions, has opted for a less technically adventurous effort and has instead focused on curating and developing an ambitious album in terms of its personnel.
So what does William Shatner do?
So let’s rewind a bit: what exactly is he doing? According to William Shatner’s post, the heavy metal album in question will feature 35 metal virtuosos, covering legends like Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, along with some original songs “forged in the same cosmic fire”.
He insists it’s not a novelty album, but a true event record built around massive guitars and cinematic arrangements, and designed to unite a legion of metal’s most respected musicians under one vision. Sounds good, right? Well, we hope so…
Will does that sound good?
Let’s not kid ourselves, this kind of thing has happened before. Hugh Laurie has released a blues album, Idris Elba has produced music and DJ’d. Even Christopher Lee released some heavy metal albums in his time. But when actors immerse themselves in the world of music, the results are often mixed. Not for Christopher Lee – he could do no wrong. But for actors like Laurie and Elba, and even others like Scarlett Johansson and Lindsay Lohan, there have been whispers of “stick to the day job.”
The hope here is that, since it’s not just William Shatner, but a slew of heavy metal musicians working to realize this vision, there’s a good chance the music itself might actually be half-decent.
But even if it isn’t, does it really matter? We shouldn’t expect innovation and miracles, like when Seraphina Sanan joined Twista to create a fusion of metal and rap, or when Coroner released their first album in more than 30 years in October.
But as mentioned earlier, Shatner is a Canadian legend. There is nothing to prevent him from redeeming his lands and seeing his retirement quietly, but he has decided the opposite. He’s chosen a headbanging option that proves how much adventure he still has in his soul, and shows a willingness to defy expectations that can only be applauded.
This might actually be the worst album in the world, and we’d probably still be headbanging away, in awe of the fact that a 94-year-old is responsible for it.
To put it bluntly, Shatner proves how old age doesn’t have to mean slowing down or playing it safe. He’s boldly going where no 94-year-old has gone before, and for that we can only keep going.
