Louder AAA
Halestorm singer/guitarist Lzzy Hale has lent her voice to a new cover of Soundgarden’s 1989 single Loud Love, also featuring Testament, Metal Allegiance and ex-Pearl Jam members.
The track, released today (June 23), is the latest offering from King Ultramega, a tribute project to late Soundgarden, Audioslave and Temple Of The Dog frontman Chris Cornell led by Metal Allegiance bassist/founder Mark Menghi. Joining Hale and Menghi on the single is Testament’s Alex Skolnick on guitar and drummer Dave Krusen, formerly of Soundgarden’s Seattle scenemates Pearl Jam.
Proceeds from the release, as with King Ultramega’s past singles, go to mental health charity MusiCares. Listen below.
Hale says of the new song: “I feel like I’m always learning something from Chris. Every few years I’ll discover something deeper in his lyrics, or higher in his range. But there is an authenticity that comes with Chris that can’t be taught or trained for. I believe every word he writes. I’m inspired by his control over his animalistic vocal range, and his poetry, but also how honestly he sings.”
Menghi adds: “If you listen to the OG version of Loud Love, Chris’ vocals are just absolute insanity and who better than Lzzy to tackle this? Lzzy has complete vocal dominance, carries such a strong presence and quite frankly is one of the best vocalists in modern rock today.”
Krusen also comments: “Seattle was a very turbulent place in the late 80s and early 90s, and I think the best thing to come out of it was all the great music. I was a huge Soundgarden fan.
“I got to meet Chris and Matt [Cameron, drums] when we (Pearl Jam) were working on [1991 debut album] Ten and they were working on Temple Of The Dog. It was a huge thrill for me. The fact that I was asked to be a part of this King Ultramega record was a huge honour. I was very intimidated to try and tackle the drum parts in Loud Love, but the guys I was recording with made it no pressure and a lot of fun.”
Cornell, who co-founded Soundgarden in 1984, died at the age of 52 on May 18, 2017, while touring North America with the band. Menghi set up King Ultramega in October 2020, when he released a cover of Soundgarden’s Rusty Cage featuring singer William DuVall from Alice In Chains, also of the Seattle alt-rock scene, plus Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante and Mastodon guitarist Bill Kelliher.
The project then lay dormant for a short while, before signing a deal with Reigning Phoenix Music. They’ve since released a series of Cornell covers and hope to corral them into a studio album. Other musicians to have joined in on the project include ex-Arch Enemy singer Alissa White-Gluz, Joe Satriani and Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil.
Menghi spoke about his affinity for Cornell during an interview with Hammer last year.
“I was a pre-teen when I came across [Soundgarden’s 1988 debut album] Ultramega OK at a record store in Long Island,” he said. “Since finding that cassette, Chris has been one of the few musical constants that I can remember. It’s his voice – he’s the voice, right? – but also his songwriting. I always felt connected to the things he was saying.”
Despite the new single, no update has been given on the status of King Ultramega’s as-yet-unannounced debut album.
