Chris Cornell tribute project King Ultramega‘s latest homage to the late grunge great has arrived in the form or a cover of Soundgarden‘s “Badmotorfinger” (and “Singles” soundtrack) cut “Birth Ritual“. Led by Mark Menghi of Metal Allegiance fame, this ongoing tribute continues to assemble star-studded homages to Cornell‘s rich catalog.
Once again, Menghi has enlisted a veteran of Soundgarden to join him, with drummer Matt Cameron behind the kit for this new cover. Halestorm‘s vocalist/guitarist Lzzy Hale is back for another go, this time joined by her Halestorm bandmate, and significant other, guitarist Joe Hottinger.
That collective spoke individually of their participation on this latest cover, with Menghi stating:
“King Ultramega has become more than a cover project; it feels like a living tribute to Chris Cornell’s entire creative spirit,. If you notice the trend of King Ultramega releases thus far, we cover all aspects of Chris’ career—spanning different albums, bands and solo records—with no more than one song from any given release.
‘Birth Ritual’ was originally featured on the legendary Singles movie soundtrack, and it has always been one of my favorite Soundgarden songs. It was important to me to give a tip of the cap to a phenomenal film—which Chris famously cameos in—and a soundtrack that perfectly defined that entire era. I still have my original VHS of the movie! Even our artwork for this release is a direct nod to the movie’s fictional band, ‘Citizen Dick.’”
As for getting to work with Cameron this time around, Menghi offered:
“Bringing in Matt was essential. Having the guy who actually lived that experience—and is famously in the movie performing the OG version of this song live from behind the drum kit in one of the scenes—gives our version an undeniable, authentic energy. Getting to lock in on bass with Matt driving the drums was an absolute dream. Pairing our rhythm section with the sheer power of Lzzy and Joe took this track to the stratosphere. Lzzy completely channels that raw Cornell vocal grit, and Joe’s guitar work is just blistering. Together, I believe we honored the history while bringing fresh energy to it.”
Menghi continued on getting to work with Cornell‘s former bandmates:
“Humbled, grateful, and completely surreal. Between having Matt on ‘Birth Ritual’ and Kim Thayil laying down guitars on ‘The Day I Tried to Live,’ it’s an absolute full-circle moment for me. Soundgarden has been woven into my creative DNA since a very young age. To have the very architects of that definitive Seattle sound validate what we are doing by stepping into our world and re-recording these tracks with us… it’s truly insane to think about. I’m just incredibly thankful for the opportunity.”
Hale added:
“Every time I tackle a Chris Cornell track I always want to honor his legacy. But with ‘Birth Ritual,’ I wanted to dance with it, meld his incendiary words with my soul and find a way to live inside the song.”
Hottinger added:
“‘Birth Ritual‘ is such a wild song for the guitars. It’s a tuning I’ve never used and is super fun to play. I love how it just grooves with the drums. I decided to use my Bogner Snorkler and Wizard Hell Razor amps. My two favorite crunch amps right now. I kept it pretty true to the original on the rhythm guitar parts and took my liberties with the solos. All in all, the track was a joy to learn and play and I’m super excited to be on a track with one of my hero’s, Matt Cameron.”
Cameron himself also weighed in revisiting this track decades later:
“The overall intensity of the song still hits home for me. It’s a nice modern update, but still sounds true to the original. The chorus on the tribute version sounds amazing, Lzzy crushed the vocals and the guitars and bass are perfect. It’s nice when Kim’s solo kicks in too.”
Cameron went on to add:
“‘Birth Ritual is an obscure B-side, so newer fans of the band may not be familiar with it. After hearing this version hopefully newer listeners will check out some of our other interesting B-sides penned by Chris like ‘She Likes Surprises’ and ‘Cold Bitch.’”
Menghi further stated of his hope for those listening this cover:
“I hope whoever listens to this song goes and revisits—or is introduced to—the movie Singles, and then goes out and buys that soundtrack. It truly is one of the greatest soundtracks ever assembled for a film. It was the soundtrack to my youth, in more ways than one… Back then, all that music was brand new, and now those songs are revered as timeless classics. What I hope people hear in our version of ‘Birth Ritual’ is the sheer, unapologetic power of that music.
Chris’ vocal phrasing on this track is insane and the song itself is a perfect example of what made Soundgarden so revolutionary—they could take heavy, complex, unconventional arrangements and make them absolutely slam. I want people to hear the timelessness of Chris’s creative spirit and remember that even decades later, nobody has ever done it better. That raw energy still matters today just as much as it did on a cassette tape or VHS back in 1992.”
Hale concluded:
“There is a raw, unapologetic honesty in Soundgarden’s music that is something that any band new or old should be taking to heart. There are never ending layers to peel back from not only ‘Birth Ritual’ but from every album they released. Chris taps into the nerve of your soul to reveal truths about yourself that you didn’t think anyone noticed. Chris’s voice and words have the ability to inspire and empower you to be the best version of yourself, something that is needed now more than ever before, and will continue for generations to come.”
Hottinger aded:
“‘Birth Ritual‘ is not one of the big Soundgarden hit songs, but it’s a song that is an essential track for helping define all the aspects of how much of a monster this band was and how unique and heavy they were compared to most ‘grunge’ music. Chris sounds like a demon on this track. His screams and howls are otherworldly and his lyrics paint the heaviest picture. These songs and Chris’s voice are pillars of heavy music. They will forever be part of the DNA of a rock and Metal.”
Countless guests have been involved in King Ultramega so far, including members of Alice In Chains, Anthrax, Mastodon, Big Wreck and more. You can check out their past covers here.
