William Shatner will bring six songs from his forthcoming heavy metal album to Riot Fest in Chicago this weekend, a rare live preview from a 95-year-old performer who is still building a 13th album. The set will split between three originals and three covers, including Metallica's "Enter Sandman."
Shatner and the *uckers
Shatner said he will appear with the *uckers, the band behind What the F Is Heavy Metal?, after his first rehearsal with them the day before he spoke to Billboard. He also said the music tracks for the album have already been recorded, while his vocals will be laid down sometime this winter.
Two months on a scratch track
The preparation has been methodical. Shatner said, "I've been preparing for two months now, on a scratch track on my phone doing the entrances and exits, which is only visible to a trained musician." He added, "Only by counting down do you know where to come in on heavy metal because it all sounds alike."
That line could sound like a gag, but he pushed back on that reading in the same interview and said, "I'm so enlivened. I'm so filled with passion. I've come to understand what heavy metal is. It's an energy that permeates your body and lifts you up. Heavy metal is the rhythm of life. It's overwhelming, especially if you've got earphones in."
The 1968 start
The new album sits inside a recording career that began in 1968 with The Transformed Man. Brian Perera, who founded Cleopatra, suggested that Shatner move into heavy metal after he had already recorded blues, progressive rock, country, Americana and Christmas songs. Shatner said that suggestion was the point at which he began to discover what heavy metal is.
Riot Fest also places him on a bill that includes Iggy Pop, Social Distortion, Patti Smith, Elvis Costello, Tool, Morrissey, Bad Religion and Alanis Morissette. For the reader, the practical takeaway is simple: this weekend is the first public test of how six unreleased songs from What the F Is Heavy Metal? land before the winter vocal sessions begin.
