Some albums are collections of songs. ‘Black Flame’ is something else entirely. Nuclear Messiah’s all-star concept album is out now via Cleopatra Records, and it’s one of the most ambitious heavy music projects in recent memory, uniting 36 iconic musicians across five decades of rock and metal history.
Built around the guitar mastery of Chris Poland, the former Megadeth guitarist whose fusion-driven technique helped reshape modern metal, ‘Black Flame’ is a full-scale metal summit. Produced by Cleopatra founder Brian Perera, Derek Hughes, and Jurgen Engler, with A&R direction from John Lappen, the record opens with a spoken introduction from William Shatner and doesn’t let up from there.
The lead single “Electric Burn” is the album’s climactic closer, and it delivers exactly what that position demands. Poland is joined by fellow Megadeth alumni Marty Friedman and Chris Adler, alongside Blue Oyster Cult bassist Joe Bouchard and Ross The Boss frontman Marc Lopes. Poland himself puts it plainly: “‘Electric Burn’ is just that, this song is on fire. Chris Adler is smokin’ hot and the rest of the band follows suit. I mean, come on, freakin’ Marty Friedman is on this track.”
The album’s guest list reads like a hall of fame roll call. Sebastian Bach, Rick Wakeman, Tim “Ripper” Owens, Joe Lynn Turner, Pat Travers, Derek Sherinian, David Ellefson, Bumblefoot, Jonathan Cain, and many more each bring their own era and energy to the record. Covers of tracks from Lucifer’s Friend, May Blitz, Holocaust, and Uriah Heep sit alongside all-new material, each song composed by its own lineup.
Perera describes the project’s core: “Chris isn’t just a guitarist, he’s a spirit of sound. Nuclear Messiah was built around his brilliance and brought to life by an army of legends who share his passion and precision.” Poland echoes that sentiment about the full record: “This record has so many metal icons playing on it. It’s really a must for any metal head’s record collection.”
The “Electric Burn” video pulls footage from Kazy Tauginas’s award-winning film Mirror Life: Modern Zombies, a visual match for the track’s intensity and scale.
‘Black Flame’ is out now. It’s a living timeline of heavy music, and there’s nothing else quite like it.
‘Black Flame’ Track Listing:
- The Prophet Of Fallout feat. Chris Poland & 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