King Ultramega, the collective tribute to the works of late Soundgarden, Audioslave, etc. frontman Chris Cornell, have issued a new cover of Cornell‘s 1999 track “Preaching The End Of The World“. That song was originally the second single to be launched from Cornell‘s debut solo album “Euphoria Morning“.
Mark Menghi of Metal Allegiance fame has been spearheading this tribute, which has seen members of Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, Anthrax, Mastodon and more serve up new covers. The project has also been raising funds and awareness for MusiCares.
Joining Menghi this time around are Big Wreck vocalist Ian Thornley, guitars by musician/YouTuber Pete Horn (himself previously a member of Cornell‘s backing band), keyboards and synth by Dave Kerzner and Frank Mitaritonna, and percussion from drumming legend Kenny Aronoff.
Ian Thornley:
“Pete Thorn is a dear friend and fellow Canadian who I know played with Chris Cornell for many years. He’s a great musician, and we’re always looking for projects to do together, so it was a quick ‘yes’ from me.”
Aronoff:
“I wanted to be part of this project because I know Mark was involved, and I’ve always been a huge fan of anything Chris Cornell on so many levels. ‘Preaching The End Of The World’ is an amazingly beautiful song, and Chris’s vocal performance is one of the most passionate and emotional vocal performances I have ever heard.”
Menghi:
“It’s a song about loneliness and searching for connection, something I can relate to. Just listen to the lyrics of this song. Chris is authentic, emotional, and vulnerable.”
“When I chose this song for King Ultramega, I had a late 60s Beatles production vibe in mind. I tried to honor what made Chris’s original recording so special, not only instrumentally but in the production as well.”
Thorn:
“‘Preaching The End Of The World‘ is a beautiful song that I always enjoyed performing with Chris during my time on tour with him. I remember a show in Tel Aviv where he talked about writing it during a dark time, but ended by saying, ‘but I made it!’ I always think about that in a positive way. He made it for a long time, and we should all be thankful for that.”
