Spinal Tap Unleash 'The End Continues'

(ICLG) Fictitious heavy metal legends Spinal Tap release their new album The End Continues today for the mockumentary Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, to coincide with the film's theatrical release.

The 13-track set includes nine brand new songs and four reinvented favorites featuring guests Paul McCartney, Elton John, Garth Brooks, and Trisha Yearwood. The End Continues is available now via Interscope Records. Listen here.

Earlier this week filmmaker Marty DiBergi, David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel and Derek Smalls from Spinal Tap stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live to talk about Spinal Tap II: The End Continues and perform "Big Bottom." Watch the performance below.

Spinal Tap released the first single from The End Continues in July, teaming up with music icon Elton John for an epic re-recording of the band's classic cut "Stonehenge."

Destined to become an instant cult classic, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues picks up 41 years after the release of 1984's groundbreaking This Is Spinal Tap, when now estranged bandmates David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel, and Derek Smalls (Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer) are forced to reunite for one final concert. Documentarian Marty Di Bergi (Rob Reiner) returns as well, to try to capture his favorite metal gods as they contemplate mortality. Joined by music royalty like McCartney and John, Spinal Tap wrestle with their checkered past to put on a concert that they hope will solidify their place in the pantheon of rock 'n' roll.

"Stonehenge" looms large in Tap lore thanks to a prop gaffe captured in the first movie, where the band ordered an 18-foot high version of the monument but instead received an 18-inch one. They've performed the song many times since, with rocks of various sizes, and Tufnel even appeared on NatGeo's 2008 Stonehenge: Decoded special to share his theories about the mysterious megaliths. For the new recording of the song, John brings his most arena-sized vocals to the mix, lording over shredding guitar, swirling synths, pounding drums, shrill pan pipes, and a full-band medieval jam session. Tufnel still holds down the eerie spoken parts.

Spinal Tap II: The End Continues opens in theaters and IMAX nationwide today, September 12, following a recent limited theatrical re-release of This Is Spinal Tap newly restored in 4K resolution. The original film - directed by Reiner and written/improvised/performed by McKean, Guest, and Shearer - released to critical acclaim and went on to become a cult classic that has directly inspired actual metal bands like Metallica, spawned the "turn it up to 11" idiom, and been referenced in pop culture ever since. In 2002, it was deemed "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress, and was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry.

Meanwhile, Tap have played on, reuniting for various tours, charity gigs, festivals, and TV appearances (including SNL and The Simpsons); collaborating with the likes of John Mayer, Cher, Slash, Adam "MCA" Yauch, and members of Fleetwood Mac, Foo Fighters, and Metallica; and releasing three albums: 1984's This Is Spinal Tap, 1992's Break Like the Wind, and 2009's Back from the Dead, which was nominated for a Best Comedy Album GRAMMY Award (all three charted on the Billboard 200).

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