Christopher Lee’s Metal Knight Plus Phantom Spell
Soundtrack to Your Favorite AD&D Supplement
A recent trip to a local antique store yielded me a stack of Classic Rock magazines. The August 2014 issue featured a short interview with Sir Christopher Lee shortly after he released his EP Metal Knight at age 92.
Here is an excerpt from the interview:
You’ve just released your latest EP, Metal Knight. What drew you to heavy metal so late in life?
About ten years ago I was approached by a band called Rhapsody as they wanted me to do some narration. The stories were very Lord of the Rings-like. It is, of course, fantasy which I love.
Were you aware of heavy metal in the late sixties?
Yes. In the early seventies I moved to America and it was there where I had my first direct contact with the genre. I’d played golf a few times with Alice Cooper. Not many people know this, but I worked with Frank Zappa. He was a fan of my work so he asked to star with me in a TV show. It was called Faerie Tale Theatre.
Lee is referring to the "The Boy Who Left Home To Find Out About The Shivers" episode of Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre. It starred Dana Hill, Christopher Lee, Peter MacNicol, and Frank Zappa, and it was narrated by Vincent Price. Frank Zappa described the episode in an Australian TV interview:
Recently I, just for a laugh, I played the role of a hunchback in a fairy tale that was completed about three days ago, on a show called Faerie Tale Theatre which was produced by Shelley Duvall, and airs on Showtime cable network here in the United States. I don't know if they have distribution outside the US [...] I think that they probably would be trying to export this thing, but . . . It's a whole series of fairy tales. The first one that they did was "The Frog Prince" and it starred Robin Williams as the frog. He was really great. And, things are all done on video, they use a lot of video effects. Mick Jagger did the last one that was on the air, he played the Mandarin in "The Nightingale," and . . . So I got to be a hunchback in a story called "The Boy Who Left Home To Learn About The Shivers." [...] Eventually, yes, he found out about the shivers in one of the more humorous scenes in the thing. [...] Here are my lines, "Huh huh huh . . . " And, "Ooooh . . . heh heh . . . "
The full episode is currently available on Youtube. You can listen to the Metal Knight EP at the following:
Christopher Lee’s heavy metal discography also included the album Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross, Charlemagne: The Omens of Death, and two Christmas EPs, one of which spawned a hit single:
According to this American Songwriter article, “Jingle Hell” reached number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100, which made Lee “the oldest musician to hit the top 20 on the chart, a record previously held by Tony Bennett.”
Phantom Spell
The press materials for Phantom Spell’s upcoming album caught my immediate attention when it described the record as a “long-lost soundtrack to your favourite AD&D supplement.” The release is scheduled for the 18th of July and is called "Heather & Hearth."
Phantom Spell is the brainchild of Kyle McNeill, and the music combines “prog rock grandiose with classic heavy metal.” The artwork is by Jean deMers, a Toronto-based illustrator whose style supports the old school fantasy vibe. Here is a full description of the album:
Bursting forth from The Black Spire with a charming blend of classic prog rock and NWOBHM-era metal, Phantom Spell has been tantalising unsuspecting onlookers since emerging in 2021… Dexterous twin-lead guitars entwine with undulating synths and Hammond organ to form the perfect backdrop for Kyle McNeill’s enchanting voice. Like a long-lost soundtrack to your favourite AD&D supplement, Phantom Spell promises adventure and mystery aplenty!
Heather & Hearth
It’s coming up on three long years since Phantom Spell’s debut album, Immortal’s Requiem, left the comfort of its dusty home.
Since then, only whispers have been heard — the odd rumour caught on the wind. Reports of a skulking wizard with a travelling band of roguish bards, appearing only for a fleeting moment before retiring back to the shadows of his tower. Now, the wizard returns with a new set of compositions. Hark!
Phantom Spell’s second full-length offering, Heather & Hearth, is a collection of heartfelt tales, weaving the potent nostalgia of home with vivid fantasy and cautionary storytelling. It retains all the ingredients that made Immortal’s Requiem such a tantalising listen, but adds fragility and subtlety. As the album title suggests, a folk thread is woven into the fabric of each song. Acoustic guitar moves to the forefront, no longer just a supporting role. The artful use of space in the brooding quiet sections amplifies the Hammond-fuelled uproar that follows. There is melancholy in the majesty, but hope is never lost.
I have had the single “A Distant Shore” in heavy rotation the past few weeks, which you can check out here:
You can pre-order the album from the Phantom Spell Bandcamp page.
That was new to me about Lee - so metal!