Lord Of The Rings - Christopher Lee Celebrates 90th Birthday With Second Metal Album

Charlemagne: The Omens of Death will be the actor's follow-up to the critically-acclaimed Charlemagne: By The Sword And The Cross.

Lee, who turned 90 on 27 May (12), tells the Bbc, "I became rather fascinated by this (genre) because, in terms of history of music, it's fairly recent, really. And if it's properly done and you can understand the story and you can understand what the people are singing and you have the right bands and the right singers, I think it's rather exciting.

"When I was approached to do the first Charlemagne album, By The Sword And The Cross, it is heavy metal, of course, but what I sang was more symphonic. Now, on the second one, The Omens Of Death, it is 100 per cent heavy metal. I've done my bits and pieces, and they are heavy metal. I'm not screaming or anything like that, but it is definitely 100 per cent heavy metal."

The upcoming album's first single, Let Legend Mark Me as the King, was released digitally and on limited edition vinyl last month (May12).