Saruman's latest heavy metal Christmas carol is the best thing you'll hear today

Christopher Lee has appeared in hundreds of films in his decade-spanning acting career, but he's likely best known to modern audiences via The Lord of the Rings, Hobbit and Star Wars films. His incredible presence, not to mention that deep commanding voice, makes him one of the best choices when you simply have to have a character seem both ancient and completely evil.

It also makes him a great metal vocalist.

Lee runs his own metal label, Charlemagne Productions, and has released concept albums about, you guessed it, King Charlemagne. He's also released some pretty brutal Christmas songs, including this year's "Darkest Carols, Faithful Sing," which you can sample below.

How the hell did Christopher Lee of all people get into metal? "At my age, the most important thing for me is to keep active by doing things that I truly enjoy. I do not know how long I am going to be around, so every day is a celebration and I want to share it with my fans," Lee said, as reported by Blabbermouth.

Peter Jackson once shared this anecdote about working with Lee on Lord of the Rings, further proving Lee's reputation as one of the most hardcore individuals in cinema. From the behind the scenes feature on the DVD:

"When I was shooting the stabbing shot with Christopher, as a director would, I was explaining to him what he should do… He says, ‘Peter, have you ever heard the sound a man makes when he’s stabbed in the back?’ And I said, ‘Um, no.’ And he says ‘Well, I have, and I know what to do.’"

The single is available now. Christopher Lee is currently 92. If you thought you were hardcore about anything just give up and go home.