When the composer behind God of War, The Rings of Power, and Battlestar Galactica calls in favors, he doesn’t mess around. Bear McCreary — the Emmy and BAFTA Award–winning composer who somehow moonlights as a full-blown symphonic metal ringleader — has just dropped “Cool Kids,” and the guest list reads like a hall-of-fame roll call: Slash and Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses, Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers, and vocalist Brendan McCreary.

Stream “Cool Kids” here: https://sparksandshadows.ffm.to/coolkids

The origin story is almost too casual for the payoff. According to McCreary, the track sparked to life when Duff McKagan slid into his inbox with a voice memo of a riff he’d been kicking around. “My ears perked up instantly — his riff was undeniable,” McCreary says. Within a week, he, Duff, Brendan, and Chad Smith were in the studio hammering the song into shape. Slash rolled through once he got back into town and layered on the kind of screaming lead guitar work that only Slash can deliver.

The result is a swaggering, unapologetic rock and roll anthem about owning who you are — though McCreary admits the title has a wink baked in. “I wouldn’t blame anybody for assuming the title was inspired by the fact that Brendan and I got to create this song with the coolest kids in rock and roll.”

“Cool Kids” is the latest preview of The Singularity: Ekleipsis, McCreary’s follow-up to his 2024 concept album The Singularity. Arriving July 31 via Sparks & Shadows Records and Mutant, Ekleipsis takes its name from the ancient Greek word for “abandonment” and continues the saga of a damaged world grappling with disillusionment and perseverance. The album’s guest list is stacked beyond reason: Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy), Claudio Sanchez (Coheed and Cambria), Jens Kidman (Meshuggah), Steve Vai, Alissa White-Gluz, Joe Duplantier (Gojira), Tim Henson (Polyphia), Stewart Copeland (The Police), Gene Hoglan, and more.

McCreary is also taking this beast on the road. After tearing through Europe in July and August — including a stop at Wacken Open Air — he brings the Ekleipsis tour to the North American West Coast in September, with dates in Portland, Seattle, Vancouver, San Francisco, San Diego, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. His live band features Brendan McCreary (vocals), Johanna Kurkela (violin, vocals), Gene Hoglan (drums), Pete Griffin (bass), and Omer Ben-Zvi (guitars).

Pre-order The Singularity: Ekleipsis and grab tickets while you can. If “Cool Kids” is any indication, this record is going to be a monster.