If you dig into the Eternal Archives of the DV, you will find out that there are six artists surnamed Lee that we have covered.
Oh, heck, let’s do a seventh. Gods know it’s going to be interesting.
Christopher Lee, former secret agent and assassin, mountain climber, professional vampire, Hammer studio staple, Saruman, Sith lord, and all around Most Interesting Man In The World, also had a musical career. If you’re unaware of this, hold on to your hats.
Lee did three CDs of symphonic metal as the vocalist.
We’re going to look at his last release, 2014’s Metal Knight, an EP of—swear to the gods—metal covers of Broadway, opera, and Frank Sinatra. If that doesn’t scare you away, keep reading, because it only gets weirder.
There are just four songs on this EP in practicality, though there are three more tracks that are longer versions of the initial songs. The first two, “I Don Quixote” and “The Impossible Dream,” are from the musical The Man Of La Mancha. Lee does a credible job with both; he seems to have a personal identification with Don Quixote, who he says “is the most metal fictional character that I know.” I’m… not sure what to say to that, except to say that these two songs are bona fide and Lee’s voice is as pleasant singing as it is speaking.
Putting aside the third track for a moment, we consider his metal version of “My Way.” Dudes, dudettes, and others, I would never in a million years think of doing “My Way” as a metal song, but damned if it doesn’t work. Lee’s vocals on this song, half sung, half spoken, have real passion and force to them; it’s hard to remember that Sir Christopher was ninety-freaking-one when he recorded this. It works. It works well.
Unfortunately, his version of “Toreador Song” from the opera Carmen is another story. I’m sure he handpicked every song on this EP, and I’m sure he wanted to do this one. However, the bombast of the music and the ebullience of Lee’s vocals don’t mix, and there are some songs that should never be metalized. This would be one of those.
Metal Knight is more than a curiosity or a publicity stunt. Lee has genuine metal cred, and he mostly pulls it off. Definitely worth checking out.
