King Ultramega “Birth Ritual” single artwork. (Reigning Phoenix Music)
Soundgarden and former Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron and Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale and Joe Hottinger play on a new version of the Soundgarden song “Birth Ritual,” which originally appeared on the soundtrack to the 1992 film Singles.
The track was recorded for the King Ultramega project, spearheaded by Mark Menghi of the band Metal Allegiance in honor of the late Chris Cornell.
“The overall intensity of the song still hits home for me,” Cameron says in a statement. “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 [Soundgarden guitarist] Kim [Thayil]’s solo kicks in too.”
You can watch the King Ultramega “Birth Ritual” video on YouTube.
Previous King Ultramega releases include new versions of Soundgarden’s “Loud Love” and “Rusty Cage,” featuring Hale and Alice in Chains’ William DuVall, respectively, and of Cornell’s solo song “Dead Wishes” featuring Mastodon’s Brann Dailor.
