Attention grunge fans: A new supergroup has just dropped! A new collective called King Ultramega has just released a heartwarming tribute to the late Chris Cornell. The tribute will eventually turn into a series of impressive covers that honor the Soundgarden frontman.
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So, who is part of this supergroup/collective? King Ultramega is packed with talent, to say the least. William DuVall of Alice In Chains, Bill Kelliher of Mastodon, Charlie Benante of Anthrax and Pantera, and Mark Menghi of Metal Allegiance form the outfit.
The first song in King Ultramega’s series of Chris Cornell tributes is a cover of the 1992 alt-metal track “Rusty Cage”. That song is from Soundgarden’s third album, Badmotorfinger. It’s a truly faithful cover with a unique flair to it. I imagine that Cornell would be proud of the result. You can listen to the cover song below.
New Grunge Supergroup King Ultramega Covers “Rusty Cage” by Soundgarden To Honor Chris Cornell
“I just leaned into my love for the song and my immense respect for Chris [Cornell],” said DuVall of the new song in a statement. “Since the instrumental track Bill, Charlie, and Mark sent hewed so closely to the original, I thought it best for me to stay in that ballpark as well.”
King Ultramega’s cover of “Rusty Cage” was actually put together quite a while ago in 2020. The song was initially posted to social media during lockdown. DuVall said that he initially “had no thoughts or ambitions for this beyond our posting it on social media five years ago.” The cover was not formally released until now, complete with a fresh mix by Josh Wilbur, to help benefit the charity MusiCares. The music video is also a new release.
The rest of the project will involve releasing additional singles with a new host of musicians. A few that have been revealed are Joe Satriani, Kenny Aronoff, and Alissa White-Gluz of Arch Enemy. And, of course, Soundgarden’s own guitarist, Kim Thayil, will be involved.
“I’m super honored to record alongside all the amazing musicians appearing on the King Ultramega project,” Thayil said of the supergroup project. “I’m equally proud that it celebrates Soundgarden in this tribute to the songwriting of Chris.”
The series of songs will explore Cornell’s long and rich career. The project will include covers of Soundgarden, Audioslave, and even Cornell’s solo works. Stay tuned for more releases from this incredible project!
Photo by Peter Wafzig/Redferns via Getty Images
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