Of all of the individuals to launch a heavy metallic album in 2026, few individuals most likely thought William Shatner would. The extra you concentrate on it, nonetheless, the extra possible it turns into. William Shatner wasn’t solely the legend who starred in Star Trek, he’s additionally the legend who boarded a Blue Origin flight to area on the age of ninety, so he’s probably not averse to going about his retirement somewhat otherwise.
To not point out, he’s Canadian, and Canadians have a aptitude for attempting unconventional initiatives. Whether or not it’s Ryan Reynolds shopping for Wrexham FC in 2021, or Seth Rogen all of a sudden turning into an everyday on Netflix cooking reveals, it appears there’s one thing within the Canadian water that encourages entertainers to step outdoors the anticipated.
Ought to we be shocked that Shatner is each a heavy metallic fan and likewise utilizing heavy metallic as a car for extra creative exploration? No.
Heavy metallic has lengthy been a key style of widespread music, attracting all types of devoted and informal listeners. Nevertheless it’s additionally been a style eager to transcend its personal borders. Take Avenged Sevenfold as an illustration, who carried out a VR live performance again in 2024. Their set was carried out of their ‘Hail to the King’ setting, giving the viewers an entire new perspective to the band’s stay present with results and visuals that felt applicable to the style. It wasn’t an interactive expertise, which might nicely be heavy metallic’s subsequent innovation, particularly as different sectors incorporate interactive components into their stay digital reveals: gamers can interact with sellers at a stay on line casino in Canada, capable of bridge that digital divide and be social, skilled, and actual at house and in a manufacturing studio.
Shatner, regardless of his space-tending ambitions, has opted for a much less technologically adventurous effort and has as an alternative targeted on curating and creating an formidable album by way of its personnel.
So What Is William Shatner Doing?
So let’s rewind somewhat: what precisely is he doing? In line with William Shatner’s X submit, the heavy metallic album in query will function 35 metallic virtuosos, masking legends like Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and Judas Priest, alongside some authentic tunes ‘cast in the identical cosmic fireplace’.
He insists it’s not a novelty album, however a real, occasion document constructed round large guitars and cinematic preparations, and designed to unite a legion of metallic’s most revered musicians underneath one imaginative and prescient. Sounds good, proper? Effectively, we hope so…
Will it Sound Good?
Let’s not child ourselves, issues like this have occurred earlier than. Hugh Laurie has launched a blues album, Idris Elba has produced music and DJ’d. Even Christopher Lee launched a number of heavy metallic albums in his day. However when actors delve into the world of music, the result’s usually blended. Not for Christopher Lee – he might do no flawed. However for actors like Laurie and Elba, and even others like Scarlett Johansson and Lindsay Lohan, there have been whispers of ‘stick with the day job’.
The hope right here is that, as a result of it’s not simply William Shatner, however an array of heavy metallic musicians working to carry this imaginative and prescient to life, there’s an excellent probability that the music itself may really be half first rate.
Even when it isn’t, nonetheless, does it actually matter? We shouldn’t expect innovation and wonders, like when Seraphina Sanan united with Twista to create a mix of metallic and rap, or when Coroner unleashed their first album in additional than 30 years again in October.
However as talked about earlier than, Shatner is a Canadian legend. There’s nothing stopping him from cashing in his chips and seeing out his retirement quietly, however he’s selected the alternative. He’s chosen a headbanging various that proves how a lot journey he nonetheless has left in his soul, and reveals a willingness to defy expectations that may solely be applauded.
Certainly, this might be the worst album on this planet, and we’d most likely nonetheless be headbanging away, in awe at the truth that a 94-year-old is answerable for it.
To place it bluntly, Shatner is proving how outdated age doesn’t need to imply slowing down or enjoying it secure. He’s going boldly the place no 94-year-old has gone earlier than, and for that, all we will say is proceed.
