William Shatner, 95 and ready to music: Captain Kirk’s Heavy Metal mission!

At 95, William Shatner is still boldly going where few people would dare to venture.
This time, however, his destination is not a distant galaxy, but the world of heavy metal.
The Canadian actor, immortalised as Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek, has embarked on one of the most unexpected musical adventures of his long career, launching a new band and preparing an album that brings together some of the most celebrated names in rock and metal.

Titled What the F Is Heavy Metal?, the forthcoming record promises a combination of original material and reimagined classics, with an impressive list of special guests. Among those expected to appear are Rob Halford, the legendary frontman of Judas Priest; Brian May, the unmistakable guitarist of Queen; Tony Iommi, the pioneering guitarist whose work with Black Sabbath helped shape heavy metal; and Dave Lombardo, the formidable drummer best known for his years with Slayer.
It is a remarkable line-up, even by the standards of a genre accustomed to ambitious collaborations.
Yet the most intriguing element of the project is Captain Kirk himself.
Anyone expecting a conventional rock vocalist might need to adjust their expectations. His approach to music has always been unconventional, relying on spoken word, dramatic delivery and theatrical interpretation rather than traditional singing. Instead of attempting to compete with the powerful voices and instrumental firepower surrounding him, he brings something unmistakably his own: the cadence of an actor, the instincts of a storyteller and a talent for turning words into a performance.
This distinctive style has been part of his musical identity for decades. His 1968 debut album, The Transformed Man, famously juxtaposed spoken interpretations of literary works with contemporary songs, including the Beatles’ Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. The result became one of the most unusual recordings associated with a major television star, attracting both fascination and amusement over the years. In 2004, he returned to music with Has Been, produced with Ben Folds, an album that demonstrated how effectively his unconventional delivery could work within a more contemporary musical setting.

Heavy metal, however, represents a different kind of challenge. Its defining characteristics include volume, aggression, technical precision and an intensity that can make even experienced performers work hard to keep up. William Shatner’s solution is not to imitate the genre’s established vocal heroes, but to approach it through his own theatrical language. In his hands, the spoken word becomes another instrument, interacting with distorted guitars, pounding drums and the larger-than-life atmosphere that has always surrounded heavy metal.
The project’s title reportedly grew out of a conversation with Cleopatra Records founder Brian Perera, who suggested that Shatner make a metal album. His response was a question that subsequently became the record’s name: what exactly is heavy metal? Rather than treating the genre as a set of rules to follow, Shatner appears to have taken the invitation as an opportunity to explore it on his own terms.

The new adventure has already moved from the recording studio to the stage.
In September 2026, William Shatner made his live heavy metal debut in Chicago with his newly assembled band, The *uckers. The group first appeared at the Riot Fest aftershow at Park West on September 19 before taking the Rebel Stage at Riot Fest itself the following day.
The line-up surrounding him is far more than a novelty backing band. Guitarist and musical director Marcus Nand is joined by Britt Lightning, known for her work with the all-female hard rock band Vixen. Bassist Phil Soussan brings experience from his time with Ozzy Osbourne and Billy Idol, while drummer Fred Aching completes the line-up, drawing on his work with Kings of Thrash and other rock projects.
Together, they provided the musical muscle for a set that combined Shatner’s forthcoming material with some of heavy metal’s best-known anthems. The repertoire included Ozzy Osbourne’s Crazy Train, Motörhead’s Ace of Spades and Metallica’s Enter Sandman, alongside original songs intended for the new album. The performances offered a first glimpse of how William Shatner’s spoken-word delivery could inhabit a live metal setting, with the band supplying the power and momentum behind his dramatic presence.
The appearance also brought his familiar science-fiction persona into a very different cultural universe.
For generations of viewers, he has been associated with the optimistic exploration of space embodied by Captain Kirk. His famous role helped establish Star Trek as one of television’s most enduring franchises, while his career subsequently expanded into film, theatre, directing and music.
At 95, he continues to approach new projects with the curiosity of someone who has little interest in limiting himself to the achievements of the past.

His musical history makes this latest transformation less random than it might initially seem.
William Shatner has never been a conventional recording artist, and that has always been part of his appeal. His work sits somewhere between performance art, recitation and popular music, leaving plenty of room for experimentation. Heavy metal, with its dramatic imagery and almost operatic sense of scale, may offer a particularly suitable setting for that sensibility.
The presence of musicians such as Halford, May, Iommi and Lombardo also gives the forthcoming record a connection to several distinct chapters of rock history. From the foundations of Black Sabbath to the theatrical power of Judas Priest, from Queen’s arena-sized sound to the ferocious rhythms of Slayer, the album’s guest list spans generations of musicians who helped define the music William Shatner is now exploring.

The exact release date for What the F Is Heavy Metal? has not been confirmed, although the album has been expected in the winter following the September performances. Its final track list and the precise contributions of its guests remain details to watch as the release approaches.
For him, the project is another reminder that a long career need not follow a predictable course. He has travelled through television history, explored the frontiers of science fiction and even ventured into space aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard in 2021. Now, with a metal band behind him and a roster of legendary musicians involved in his new record, he has found another frontier to explore.
Captain Kirk once took the USS Enterprise where no one had gone before. William Shatner’s latest mission is rather louder, considerably more distorted and accompanied by some very heavy guitar riffs.
At 95, the final frontier is apparently still wide open.