The man who played Dracula and Saruman is to tell the story of Charlemagne, the first Holy Roman Emperor, through the universal language of metal

The man who played Dracula, Saruman and the Man with the Golden Gun is now to portray Charlemagne – through the medium of song. Actor Christopher Lee is to release an album of "symphonic metal", telling the story of his own direct ancestor, the first Holy Roman Emperor.

"To my surprise and indeed great pleasure, I have suddenly found that there is another string to my bow," Sir Christopher said in a video message. Due on 15 March, Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross features the 87-year-old singing and acting alongside a full orchestra, choir, and a large cast of undisclosed guest vocalists. "There's a lot of characters in this particular album," Lee explained. "A lot. There's Charlemagne himself of course, which I sing, and then there's young Charlemagne, Charlemagne's father, Charlemagne's brother, ... [even] the Pope."

There's also, er, some heavy-duty headbanging, courtesy of Italian composer Marco Sabiu. As half of 1980s production duo the Rapino Brothers, Sabiu helped create hits by Kylie Minogue and Take That. More recently, Sabiu worked with both Françoise Hardy and Luciano Pavarotti. According to the project's website, the lyrics were written by Marie-Claire Calvet, "a graduate from Bristol University". Calvet's MySpace states that she is a fan of such metal luminaries as Judy Garland, Jacques Brel and Oasis.

"It's pretty unexpected," Lee admitted. Although he has previously worked on metal projects – narrating several records by Italian band Rhapsody of Fire, and collaborating briefly with Manowar – he has never released an album before. This particular project resonated not just with the actor's dark, storm-whipped soul – but with his family tree. "I am through the Carandini family [his mother's] actually descended from Charlemagne," he revealed.

"It's fascinating for me that at this stage in my life, people are beginning to look upon me as a metal singer," Lee said. "When this comes out as a complete album, it's going to be sensational."

Listen to samples from Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross.