The ten-track album will be a collaboration with Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner, World Guitar Idol champion Hedras Ramos and others (individual singers will play ‘characters’ in the songs). Lee says he is working with some of the world’s best metal musicians on Omens of Death, claiming “what more can you ask than to work with the best? I’ve done that in film, of course, but I haven’t done that to such an extent in metal.”

Lee says that the album will be a hard metal offering, stating “my previous album was more symphonic metal... this is heavy metal”.

The album is Lee’s second concept album about Charlemagne, the 8th century First Holy Roman Emperor. It follows up from 2010’s Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross. Lee says Charlemagne “isn’t very well known to the public”, and that “he wasn’t an all-conquering Genghis Khan or Attila.”

Lee is best known for his classic horror films and, more recently, his role as Saruman in Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Lee, who has a classically trained voice, has embraced his musical side throughout his career, including some singing work on The Wicker Man soundtrack. He had worked with other metal and hard rock bands including Manowar before releasing his first full metal album. He released an EP called A Heavy Metal Christmas last December.