95-Year-Old William Shatner Launches Heavy Metal Album With Friend

William Shatner shows zero intention of slowing down at age 95 as he readies himself to front a heavy metal band. Beyond his decades in acting, this accomplished musician has already released 11 studio albums covering spoken word, rock, progressive rock, Christmas themes, and country releases. During an interview with Fox News Digital, Shatner discussed how the Cleopatra Records label approached him earlier this year about creating a heavy metal record. He recently partnered with Audien Hearing for a new campaign but kept his focus on music.

"I said, 'What the f--- is heavy metal?'" the Star Trek icon recalled when asked about the initial reaction. That exact phrase became the album title, "What the F is Heavy Metal," according to Shatner. He told Fox News Digital that he teamed up with longtime creative collaborator and friend Robert Sharenow for this specific project. The pair previously worked together on five albums featuring autobiographical lyrics and spoken-word performances over their careers.

"So we wrote six songs for the album," Shatner said while laying down his vocal track. In addition to those six original songs, "What the F is Heavy Metal" will feature covers with contributions from more than 50 musicians. "All of a sudden, 50, I'm told 50 heavy metal musicians all volunteer to be on this album," Shatner noted regarding the unexpected support. The lineup includes Queen's Brian May who performed a guitar solo for a track titled "Rage." This song features the famous line from Dylan Thomas's 1951 poem about not going gentle into that good night.

Shatner later received an invitation to perform at Riot Fest, an annual three-day punk rock music festival held at Douglass Park in Chicago, Illinois. Organizers announced in a July social media post that Shatner would debut his heavy metal band The *uckers there after trying to book him for over a decade. His label tapped five musicians to form the group including guitarists Marcus Nand and Britt Lightning plus bassist Phil Soussan and drummer Fred Aching. They call themselves The *uckers because of their title track, "What the f--- is heavy metal."

The band made its live debut in Chicago on Sept. 19 before performing at Riot Fest the following day. The group played original songs including "Rage," "Sky" and "One Fear" alongside covers of Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train," Motörhead's "Ace of Spades," and Metallica's "Enter Sandman." Shatner recalled that the show was a huge success with cheering crowds and positive reviews proving the viability of his project. After performing with The *uckers, he said he now has an answer to his original question about heavy metal.

"It is the beat of life," he said describing the genre as an energetic way of doing music that enlivens your life and stirs you up. He explained that his approach to heavy metal extends beyond the music itself. The energy of the performance made him pay attention in ways he had not expected before stepping onto that stage.

William Shatner says his new album brings fresh takes to classic lyrics. He specifically mentions Metallica's "Enter Sandman." He believes darker themes hide beneath that familiar melody.

"I've reinterpreted even the cover songs," he told reporters.

Shatner insists his version of "Enter Sandman" targets the sinister implications in the words. He does not treat the Sandman as a harmless bedtime figure anymore.

"It's a total reinterpretation of the Sandman," he said. "It is amazing."

While Shatner embraces this volume of heavy metal, the project links to a personal issue. The actor partners with Audien Hearing for a campaign about hearing health. He speaks from experience after facing tinnitus and hearing loss himself.

Shatner recalled that his struggles began decades ago on the set of "Star Trek." An explosion scene featured him alongside co-star Leonard Nimoy. Stage doors were accidentally left closed during filming. This mistake prevented the blast from dissipating properly.

He told Fox News Digital that both actors went to a doctor after their ears started ringing. Shatner admitted he did not immediately realize the noise had become permanent. The Canada native recalled walking on a beach one day. He noticed the hiss of retreating waves never completely disappeared.

"I heard the hiss, but the hiss never went away," he said. "It was always hissing."

Shatner learned to live with the tinnitus through habituation. He estimates losing roughly 20% to 30% of his hearing. Hearing aids have helped him rediscover everyday sounds again.

"The dog claws on the floor, the creak of this rocking chair, all the panoply of sounds that go to make up the richness of the world around us, we're using hearing," he said.

His hearing challenges did not stop him from playing heavy metal. However, loud music can temporarily intensify the tinnitus. He noticed this effect after performing at Riot Fest.

"Now I'm fitted with earphones, right? And the sound would have been blasting in anyway, but it's heavy metal sound," he said. "I'm blasting in on my tinnitus."

"So there is this noise," Shatner continued. "Either I'm going to perform with the noise or I'm not going to perform."

"And my tinnitus is just coming back down now," he added. "It was hissing so loudly being subjected to that sound."

Despite these challenges, Shatner is moving ahead with the album. He told Fox News Digital that tracks have already been recorded. He plans to listen to the finished music soon. This will tell him if he needs changes to his performance.

"In effect, the album has been made, but I'm going in a week or two to listen to it to see how much of an adjustment in my performance I need to do with these musicians, who are playing in an area that I really don't know," he said.

"I want to see if my performance needs to be adjusted to their tempo and their meaning of the heavy metal," Shatner continued. "So that's what's going to happen."

"This is going to be a major thing in heavy metal," he added. "'What the F Is Heavy Metal,' with 50 of the greatest people, including Brian May, on the album.