NEW SINGLE “FOR MAD MEN ONLY” OUT TODAY
FROM NEW ALBUM
‘BLACK FLAME,’
SET FOR RELEASE APRIL 24 ON CLEOPATRA RECORDS
March 18, 2026 — NUCLEAR MESSIAH–built around the visionary guitar mastery of Chris Poland—released their new single, “For Mad Men Only,” today. Joining Poland for this roaring metal cover of the ‘70s May Blitz tune is the inimitable Joe Lynn Turner on vocals and Pat Travers on guitar, powering the song forward, alongside ex-Hawkwind bassist Alan Davey and former Megadeth drummer Shawn Drover. It’s a rousing, riff riddled monster, harnessing in serious style the unstoppable force that is NUCLEAR MESSIAH!
Stream/download “For Mad Men Only” HERE and watch the video HERE.
“This NUCLEAR MESSIAH record has been an absolute pleasure for me to make and be a part of,” declares Chris Poland. “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!!! This record is a tour de force of artists from groups we all know and love. From the first track to the last it just never lets up. Thank you, Cleopatra!!!”
“It’s great to be on board with the guys from Nuclear Messiah but I never thought after 56 years that I’d be doing a metal cover version of a May Blitz song,” says Joe Lynn Turner. “Recording ‘For Mad Men Only’ was a time warp experience. I remember back in 1970 when the band was releasing new material in a Prog/Psychedelic/ Punk style. The power Pop attitude and cryptic lyrics of non- conformity still ring true to form. It was an absolute pleasure to make a contribution to this amazing new project! Cheers to all!”
Produced by Cleopatra founder Brian Perera, Derek Hughes, and Jürgen Engler, with A&R direction by long-term Cleopatra Records consultant John Lappen, NUCLEAR MESSIAH stands as both resurrection and revelation — a celebration of musicianship, legacy, and unrelenting fire.
Keeping the momentum going at a fierce pace as we roll towards the release of the full album, this new single brings everything you’d expect from this stunning band, and more!
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In an unprecedented gathering of rock and metal royalty, Cleopatra Records proudly announces the April 24 release of BLACK FLAME, NUCLEAR MESSIAH’s thunderous, all-star concept album.
Built around the visionary guitar mastery of Chris Poland, the legendary former Megadeth guitarist whose emotive phrasing and fusion-driven technique helped redefine modern metal, BLACK FLAME is a sonic prophecy uniting 36 of the most iconic musicians in rock and metal history across five decades.
Blazing out from William Shatner’s commanding spoken introduction, a staggering lineup represents every era of heavy music, from Vanilla Fudge to the Kings of Thrash, via Guns N’ Roses, Uriah Heep, Whitesnake, Black Sabbath, UFO, Rainbow, Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper, Judas Priest, Deep Purple, Yngwie Malmsteen, Thor, Testament, Night Ranger, the Michael Schenker Group, Yes and more.
Eye-opening covers, too, will be ripping open your ears – Lucifer’s Friend, May Blitz, NWOBHM heroes Holocaust and the immortal Uriah Heep (a killer take on “Look At Yourself”); and, while the remainder of the album is all new material, each song composed by the line-up that performs on it, reflecting, too, upon the history of hard rock, prog and metal – a living timeline of rock and metal, from the pioneers of the past to the trailblazers of today.
It’s more than a collaboration. It’s a metal summit, the multi-generational union of the artists who shaped the evolution of heavy music itself.
CD/VINYL pre-order: https://cleorecs.com/search?q=nuclear+messiah+black+flame
DIGITAL pre-order: https://orcd.co/nuclearmessiah_blackflamealbum
Here’s the track listing for BLACK FLAME:
1. The Prophet Of Fallout feat. Chris Poland & William Shatner
2. Devil Won’t Let Go feat. Chris Poland, Ronnie Romero, Vinnie Moore, Vinny Appice, Don Airey, Steve Di Giorgio
3. Death Or Glory feat. Chris Poland, Thor, Bob Daisley, Glen Drover, Fred Aching
4. Ride The Sky feat. Chris Poland, Arthur Brown, Vinny Appice, Alan Davey
5. Dice And Thunder feat. Chris Poland, Rick Wakeman, Ronnie Romero, Bumblefoot, Steve Di Giorgio, Fred Aching
6. For Mad Men Only feat. Chris Poland, Pat Travers, Joe Lynn Turner, Alan Davey, Shawn Drover
7. Nuclear Messiah feat. Chris Poland, Lance Lopez, Greg Walker, Tim “Ripper” Owens, Vinny Appice, Don Airey
8. Look At Yourself feat. Chris Poland, Sebastian Bach, Derek Sherinian, Bob Daisley, Mick Box, Carmine Appice
9. She’s So Evil feat. Chris Poland, Joel Hoekstra, David Ellefson, Don Airey, Andrew Freeman, Simon Wright
10. Black Flame feat. Chris Poland, Ronnie Romero, Jonathan Cain, Phil Soussan, Glen Drover, Chris Adler
11. Electric Burn feat. Chris Poland, Marty Friedman, Joe Bouchard, Marc Lopes, Chris Adler
NUCLEAR MESSIAH
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