{"id":617277,"date":"2026-02-19T10:20:27","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T15:20:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/?p=617277"},"modified":"2026-02-19T10:58:52","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T15:58:52","slug":"william-shatner-announces-new-heavy-metal-album-feat-black-sabbath-judas-priest-covers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/upcoming-releases\/william-shatner-announces-new-heavy-metal-album-feat-black-sabbath-judas-priest-covers","title":{"rendered":"WILLIAM SHATNER Announces New Heavy Metal Album Feat. BLACK SABBATH &amp; JUDAS PRIEST Covers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Legendary actor and cultural icon <strong>William Shatner<\/strong> is diving headfirst into heavy metal with a new, star-powered album that promises massive guitars, cinematic scope, and his signature spoken-word intensity. So all the weirdness you&#039;d expect combined with what sounds like a good chunk of sincerity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Long known for blurring the lines between storytelling and music, <strong>Shatner<\/strong> has previously collaborated with boundary-pushing artists such as <strong>Zakk Wylde<\/strong>, <strong>Ritchie Blackmore<\/strong>, <strong>Edgar Froese<\/strong> of <strong>Tangerine Dream<\/strong>, <strong>Wayne Kramer<\/strong> of <strong>MC5<\/strong>, and <strong>Henry Rollins<\/strong> of <strong>Black Flag<\/strong> and <strong>Rollins Band<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This time, however, <strong>Shatner<\/strong> is assembling what he calls a &#034;gathering of forces&#034; \u2014 an army of metal musicians personally selected to help realize his most ambitious heavy project yet. &#034;Metal has always been a place where imagination gets loud,&#034; <strong>Shatner<\/strong> said. &#034;Each artist brings their fire, their precision, their chaos. I chose them because they have something to say, and because metal demands honesty.&#034;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The project was sparked by <strong>Shatner<\/strong>&#039;s recent involvement with <strong>Nuclear Messiah<\/strong> on their upcoming album <em>Black Flame<\/em>, where he voiced an intro piece created alongside <strong>Chris Poland<\/strong>, the former <strong>Megadeth<\/strong> guitarist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#034;When <strong>Nuclear Messiah<\/strong> came to life, something clicked,&#034; <strong>Shatner<\/strong> explained. &#034;It wasn&#039;t just a track \u2014 it was a doorway.&#034;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Further fueling the momentum, <strong>Wylde<\/strong> \u2014 best known for his work with <strong>Ozzy Osbourne<\/strong> \u2014 personally gifted <strong>Shatner<\/strong> a guitar, a gesture the actor describes as deeply motivating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The forthcoming album will feature covers of <strong>Black Sabbath<\/strong>, <strong>Judas Priest<\/strong>, and <strong>Iron Maiden<\/strong>, alongside new original material written with his team. &#034;I&#039;ve spent a lifetime exploring in both reality and fiction,&#034; <strong>Shatner<\/strong> said. &#034;Now I am stepping out into the unknown once again with my new project in heavy metal\u2026 The whole project is destined for this year. I hope you will join me in the exploration.&#034;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additional details \u2014 including the album&#039;s title, full guest roster, track list, and release date \u2014 are expected to be announced soon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>William Shatner unveils his new metal album featuring elite players and covers of Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3242,"featured_media":617280,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_mo_disable_npp":"","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"214235,84388,68658,521021,139513,193109","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[591],"tags":[2205,100218],"class_list":["post-617277","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-upcoming-releases","tag-william-shatner","tag-featured2"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>WILLIAM SHATNER Announces New Heavy Metal Album Feat. BLACK SABBATH &amp; JUDAS PRIEST Covers - Metal Injection<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"William Shatner unveils his new metal album featuring elite players and covers of Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/upcoming-releases\/william-shatner-announces-new-heavy-metal-album-feat-black-sabbath-judas-priest-covers\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Greg Kennelty\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/upcoming-releases\/william-shatner-announces-new-heavy-metal-album-feat-black-sabbath-judas-priest-covers#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/upcoming-releases\/william-shatner-announces-new-heavy-metal-album-feat-black-sabbath-judas-priest-covers\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Greg Kennelty\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/#\/schema\/person\/fa13a7b54281d1bd3c20982c57cefe80\"},\"headline\":\"WILLIAM SHATNER Announces New Heavy Metal Album Feat. BLACK SABBATH &amp; JUDAS PRIEST Covers\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-19T15:20:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-19T15:58:52+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/upcoming-releases\/william-shatner-announces-new-heavy-metal-album-feat-black-sabbath-judas-priest-covers\"},\"wordCount\":333,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/upcoming-releases\/william-shatner-announces-new-heavy-metal-album-feat-black-sabbath-judas-priest-covers#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/cdn-p.smehost.net\/sites\/7f9737f2506941499994d771a29ad47a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/william-shatner.png\",\"keywords\":[\"william shatner\",\"featured2\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Upcoming Releases\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/upcoming-releases\/william-shatner-announces-new-heavy-metal-album-feat-black-sabbath-judas-priest-covers#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/upcoming-releases\/william-shatner-announces-new-heavy-metal-album-feat-black-sabbath-judas-priest-covers\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/upcoming-releases\/william-shatner-announces-new-heavy-metal-album-feat-black-sabbath-judas-priest-covers\",\"name\":\"WILLIAM SHATNER Announces New Heavy Metal Album Feat. BLACK SABBATH &amp; JUDAS PRIEST Covers - Metal Injection\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/upcoming-releases\/william-shatner-announces-new-heavy-metal-album-feat-black-sabbath-judas-priest-covers#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/upcoming-releases\/william-shatner-announces-new-heavy-metal-album-feat-black-sabbath-judas-priest-covers#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/cdn-p.smehost.net\/sites\/7f9737f2506941499994d771a29ad47a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/william-shatner.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-19T15:20:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-19T15:58:52+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/#\/schema\/person\/fa13a7b54281d1bd3c20982c57cefe80\"},\"description\":\"William Shatner unveils his new metal album featuring elite players and covers of Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/upcoming-releases\/william-shatner-announces-new-heavy-metal-album-feat-black-sabbath-judas-priest-covers#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/upcoming-releases\/william-shatner-announces-new-heavy-metal-album-feat-black-sabbath-judas-priest-covers\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/upcoming-releases\/william-shatner-announces-new-heavy-metal-album-feat-black-sabbath-judas-priest-covers#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cdn-p.smehost.net\/sites\/7f9737f2506941499994d771a29ad47a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/william-shatner.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cdn-p.smehost.net\/sites\/7f9737f2506941499994d771a29ad47a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/william-shatner.png\",\"width\":1600,\"height\":1000,\"caption\":\"Photo by Elizabeth Shatner\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/upcoming-releases\/william-shatner-announces-new-heavy-metal-album-feat-black-sabbath-judas-priest-covers#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"WILLIAM SHATNER Announces New Heavy Metal Album Feat. BLACK SABBATH &amp; JUDAS PRIEST Covers\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/\",\"name\":\"Metal Injection\",\"description\":\"Heavy metal news, metal music videos, tour dates, live footage, exclusive documentaries, funny clips and more.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/#\/schema\/person\/fa13a7b54281d1bd3c20982c57cefe80\",\"name\":\"Greg Kennelty\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e46fb424e07e0b8451af183190c5dee006b8b1b521945fe34e93e43f8a8a71c7?s=96&d=blank&r=x\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e46fb424e07e0b8451af183190c5dee006b8b1b521945fe34e93e43f8a8a71c7?s=96&d=blank&r=x\",\"caption\":\"Greg Kennelty\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@TheGregKennelty\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/author\/kennelty\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"WILLIAM SHATNER Announces New Heavy Metal Album Feat. BLACK SABBATH &amp; JUDAS PRIEST Covers - Metal Injection","description":"William Shatner unveils his new metal album featuring elite players and covers of Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/upcoming-releases\/william-shatner-announces-new-heavy-metal-album-feat-black-sabbath-judas-priest-covers","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Greg Kennelty","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/upcoming-releases\/william-shatner-announces-new-heavy-metal-album-feat-black-sabbath-judas-priest-covers#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/upcoming-releases\/william-shatner-announces-new-heavy-metal-album-feat-black-sabbath-judas-priest-covers"},"author":{"name":"Greg Kennelty","@id":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/#\/schema\/person\/fa13a7b54281d1bd3c20982c57cefe80"},"headline":"WILLIAM SHATNER Announces New Heavy Metal Album Feat. BLACK SABBATH &amp; JUDAS PRIEST Covers","datePublished":"2026-02-19T15:20:27+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-19T15:58:52+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/upcoming-releases\/william-shatner-announces-new-heavy-metal-album-feat-black-sabbath-judas-priest-covers"},"wordCount":333,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/upcoming-releases\/william-shatner-announces-new-heavy-metal-album-feat-black-sabbath-judas-priest-covers#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cdn-p.smehost.net\/sites\/7f9737f2506941499994d771a29ad47a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/william-shatner.png","keywords":["william shatner","featured2"],"articleSection":["Upcoming Releases"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/upcoming-releases\/william-shatner-announces-new-heavy-metal-album-feat-black-sabbath-judas-priest-covers#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/upcoming-releases\/william-shatner-announces-new-heavy-metal-album-feat-black-sabbath-judas-priest-covers","url":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/upcoming-releases\/william-shatner-announces-new-heavy-metal-album-feat-black-sabbath-judas-priest-covers","name":"WILLIAM SHATNER Announces New Heavy Metal Album Feat. BLACK SABBATH &amp; JUDAS PRIEST Covers - Metal Injection","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/upcoming-releases\/william-shatner-announces-new-heavy-metal-album-feat-black-sabbath-judas-priest-covers#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/upcoming-releases\/william-shatner-announces-new-heavy-metal-album-feat-black-sabbath-judas-priest-covers#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cdn-p.smehost.net\/sites\/7f9737f2506941499994d771a29ad47a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/william-shatner.png","datePublished":"2026-02-19T15:20:27+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-19T15:58:52+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/#\/schema\/person\/fa13a7b54281d1bd3c20982c57cefe80"},"description":"William Shatner unveils his new metal album featuring elite players and covers of Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/upcoming-releases\/william-shatner-announces-new-heavy-metal-album-feat-black-sabbath-judas-priest-covers#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/upcoming-releases\/william-shatner-announces-new-heavy-metal-album-feat-black-sabbath-judas-priest-covers"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/upcoming-releases\/william-shatner-announces-new-heavy-metal-album-feat-black-sabbath-judas-priest-covers#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/cdn-p.smehost.net\/sites\/7f9737f2506941499994d771a29ad47a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/william-shatner.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cdn-p.smehost.net\/sites\/7f9737f2506941499994d771a29ad47a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/william-shatner.png","width":1600,"height":1000,"caption":"Photo by Elizabeth Shatner"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/upcoming-releases\/william-shatner-announces-new-heavy-metal-album-feat-black-sabbath-judas-priest-covers#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"WILLIAM SHATNER Announces New Heavy Metal Album Feat. BLACK SABBATH &amp; JUDAS PRIEST Covers"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/#website","url":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/","name":"Metal Injection","description":"Heavy metal news, metal music videos, tour dates, live footage, exclusive documentaries, funny clips and more.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/#\/schema\/person\/fa13a7b54281d1bd3c20982c57cefe80","name":"Greg Kennelty","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e46fb424e07e0b8451af183190c5dee006b8b1b521945fe34e93e43f8a8a71c7?s=96&d=blank&r=x","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e46fb424e07e0b8451af183190c5dee006b8b1b521945fe34e93e43f8a8a71c7?s=96&d=blank&r=x","caption":"Greg Kennelty"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@TheGregKennelty"],"url":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/author\/kennelty"}]}},"author_meta":{"display_name":"Greg Kennelty","author_link":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/author\/kennelty"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/cdn-p.smehost.net\/sites\/7f9737f2506941499994d771a29ad47a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/william-shatner-300x188.png","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/category\/upcoming-releases\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Upcoming Releases<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Upcoming Releases<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/category\/upcoming-releases\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">william shatner<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/category\/upcoming-releases\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">featured2<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">william shatner<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">featured2<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"0","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 2 weeks ago","modified":"Updated 2 weeks ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on February 19, 2026","modified":"Updated on February 19, 2026"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on February 19, 2026 10:20 am","modified":"Updated on February 19, 2026 10:58 am"},"featured_img_caption":"Photo by Elizabeth Shatner","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/617277","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3242"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=617277"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/617277\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":617283,"href":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/617277\/revisions\/617283"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/617280"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=617277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=617277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metalinjection.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=617277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}