Most music lovers from the 90s are Chris Cornell fans in one way or another. He was an iconic voice of the 90s and beyond. Soundgarden continues to be a force to be reckoned with, even with Cornell no longer being with us. Mark Menghi of Metal Allegiance decided to give Cornell’s music an extra heartbeat through friends and fellow musicians via King Ultramega, and it is a beautiful project. They just released a new track titled “Dead Wishes” with Angel Vivaldi and Brann Dailor of Mastodon.
King Ultramega began its journey in 2020. Menghi created this project not only to honor an incredible musician but also to raise awareness and funds for Mental Health. While this is already a lovely reason, Menghi also took the musical aspect so sincerely and seriously that he made sure to honor Cornell respectfully through getting the right people involved and finding his inner Brian Wilson to compose songs that paid tribute, as opposed to trying to reinvent nearly perfect songs. Due to his taking this to heart, he has been able to celebrate the late vocalist with dignity and appreciation, and thus has brought some breathtaking recreations.
Menghi was kind enough to sit down with Metal Nation and discuss all things related to this project, as well as his own personal journey while doing this.