Christopher Lee has released a heavy metal album to celebrate his 92nd birthday.

The legendary actor reached the enviable age yesterday, and to mark the special occasion has brought out Metal Knight, a seven track collection which features two covers from the Man Of La Mancha musical which is based on the fictional character Don Quixote.

Speaking about the inspiration for the LP, Lee revealed, "As far as I am concerned, Don Quixote is the most metal fictional character that I know. Single-handed, he is trying to change the world, regardless of any personal consequences. It is a wonderful character to sing."

Lee - who is famous for his portrayal of Count Dracula in several Hammer Horror films and roles in the Star Wars and Lord of the Rings franchises - has posted a video on YouTube in which he explains the motivation for the tracks with of the featured songs being a metal cover of Frank Sinatra classic "My Way."

Lee - who first began making metal music around 10 years ago when he collaborated with Italian symphonic metal band Rhapsody of Fire - said, "I associate heavy metal with fantasy because of the tremendous power that the music delivers."

In 2013, Lee became the oldest performer to chart in the US after his version of "Jingle Hell (Bells)" reached number 18 in the Billboard Charts. His new album is now available at all digital music stores.