Nuclear Messiah have released “For Mad Men Only,” the new single from their upcoming all-star album ‘Black Flame,’ arriving April 24 via Cleopatra Records. The track is a roaring metal cover of the 1970s May Blitz tune of the same name, featuring Joe Lynn Turner on vocals, Pat Travers on guitar, Alan Davey on bass, and Shawn Drover on drums, all anchored by the visionary guitar work of former Megadeth guitarist Chris Poland. The video is out now.
Turner captures the spirit of the recording well: “I never thought after 56 years that I’d be doing a metal cover version of a May Blitz song. Recording ‘For Mad Men Only’ was a time warp experience.” That sense of unlikely reunion runs through the entire ‘Black Flame’ project, which unites 36 iconic musicians across five decades of rock and metal history on a single album.
‘Black Flame’ opens with a spoken introduction from William Shatner and draws contributors from the worlds of Guns N’ Roses, Uriah Heep, Whitesnake, Black Sabbath, UFO, Rainbow, Judas Priest, Deep Purple, Yes, and more. The eleven-track album blends eye-opening covers of Lucifer’s Friend, May Blitz, NWOBHM heroes Holocaust, and Uriah Heep alongside entirely new material, each song composed by the artists who perform on it. The result is less a compilation than a genuine creative summit.
Poland reflects on the project with obvious pride: “If someone told me when I was a kid that I would be on a record someday with nearly 40 of rock’s royalty, I would have said you’re dreaming. Well, it happened.” Produced by Cleopatra founder Brian Perera, Derek Hughes, and Jürgen Engler, ‘Black Flame’ is available for pre-order now on CD, vinyl, and digital.
April 24 brings the full record. “For Mad Men Only” is the opening salvo, and it lands hard.
‘Black Flame’ Tracklisting:
- The Prophet Of Fallout feat. Chris Poland and William Shatner
- Devil Won’t Let Go feat. Chris Poland, Ronnie Romero, Vinnie Moore, Vinny Appice, Don Airey, Steve Di Giorgio
- Death Or Glory feat. Chris Poland, Thor, Bob Daisley, Glen Drover, Fred Aching
- Ride The Sky feat. Chris Poland, Arthur Brown, Vinny Appice, Alan Davey
- Dice And Thunder feat. Chris Poland, Rick Wakeman, Ronnie Romero, Bumblefoot, Steve Di Giorgio, Fred Aching
- For Mad Men Only feat. Chris Poland, Pat Travers, Joe Lynn Turner, Alan Davey, Shawn Drover
- Nuclear Messiah feat. Chris Poland, Lance Lopez, Greg Walker, Tim “Ripper” Owens, Vinny Appice, Don Airey
- Look At Yourself feat. Chris Poland, Sebastian Bach, Derek Sherinian, Bob Daisley, Mick Box, Carmine Appice
- She’s So Evil feat. Chris Poland, Joel Hoekstra, David Ellefson, Don Airey, Andrew Freeman, Simon Wright
- Black Flame feat. Chris Poland, Ronnie Romero, Jonathan Cain, Phil Soussan, Glen Drover, Chris Adler
- Electric Burn feat. Chris Poland, Marty Friedman, Joe Bouchard, Marc Lopes, Chris Adler