In celebration of Soundgarden‘s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, an all-star rock collective operating under the name King Ultramega has released a powerful, new rendition of the band’s classic, “The Day I Tried To Live.”
The project features a stellar lineup, including Soundgarden‘s own Kim Thayil on guitar, Arch Enemy vocalist Alissa White-Gluz, Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante, and Metal Allegiance bassist Mark Menghi. The track was created in memory of Chris Cornell and will raise funds and awareness for MusiCares, the Recording Academy‘s nonprofit focused on the health of the music community.
For Thayil, the opportunity to revisit his own song with a new group of musicians proved to be a profound experience.
“I believe that the personal exploration that came out of my accepting the invitation… allowed me to open myself up to the creative risks of sharing an emotive and artistically intimate experience with other creative individuals,” Thayil commented. He added that the process “has proved to be rewarding and encouraging, for me, of future similar collaborations.”
Mark Menghi, the project’s creative visionary, admitted to the pressure of re-recording the track in front of its original guitarist, all while trying to honor Cornell‘s legacy. “It was a bit nerve racking for me to go in and record this track knowing Kim was going to be on this song,” Menghi said. “‘What would Chris think?’ was the question that kept repeating in my head over and over.”
Alissa White-Gluz, who cites Cornell as a major inspiration, spoke about the challenge of tackling his iconic vocals.
“I felt that I needed to try to embody his unique power and swagger when delivering the vocals here,” White-Gluz stated. “He has always had such a remarkable way of wording things; ‘I stole a thousand beggars’ change and gave it to the rich’ – just so, so good. He always managed to grab our attention with narrative and keep our interest with thoughtful word choice and intriguing messages.”
Charlie Benante rounded out the group, focusing on respecting the original song’s foundation laid by drummer Matt Cameron. “This is one of my favorite Soundgarden songs,” Benante said. “I just love everything about the song… I just tried to stay true to that.”
The single is also featured on a 2-song LP release, which includes a cover of the Soundgarden classic “Rusty Cage.”
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