To commemorate the induction of the legendary Soundgarden into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, alternative rock collective King Ultramega have unleashed a powerful new rendition of “The Day I Tried To Live”, featuring Soundgarden‘s Kim Thayil, with Alissa White-Gluz of Arch Enemy, Mark Menghi of Metal Allegiance, and Charlie Benante of Anthrax.
“The Day I Tried To Live” is also featured on a 2-song LP release that also features King Ultramega‘s rendition of the Soundgarden classic “Rusty Cage”. King Ultramega crafted this single in loving memory of legendary vocalist Chris Cornell, while raising funds and awareness for MusiCares, which is the Recording Academy’s nonprofit that provides mental health, addiction recovery, and emergency services to those in the music community.
Kim Thayil welcomed this unique opportunity to rediscover his relationship with the song, outside of the familiar context of performing it as a Soundgarden member. Though the process of sharing his original contributions and interpretations of his guitar performances with other musicians was challenging, Thayil found it to be personally cathartic, capturing the essence of “The Day I Tried To Live”, while still bringing a fresh power and beauty to the song.
Thayil comments: “I believe that the personal exploration that came out of my accepting the invitation from Mark, and King Ultramega, to participate in these recordings, allowed me to open myself up to the creative risks of sharing an emotive and artistically intimate experience with other creative individuals, and that this has proved to be rewarding and encouraging, for me, of future similar collaborations.”
While Thayil’s smooth, soulful lead guitar performance shines on top, bassist and King Ultramega creative visionary Mark Menghi keeps the groove of the song true to form. Menghi’s precise bass performance gives Thayil a familiar foundation to build upon so that together, King Ultramega can do justice to Chris Cornell‘s legacy.
Menghi comments: “It was a bit nerve racking for me to go in and record this track knowing Kim was going to be on this song, as it’s his band’s song to begin with. In addition, it was equally important for me to keep it true to the original so Alissa had a strong foundation to deliver her magic. ‘What would Chris think?’ was the question that kept repeating in my head over and over.”
As a longtime Soundgarden fan, vocalist Alissa White-Gluz cites Chris Cornell‘s work as highly influential and inspirational to her own, through all of his projects. Her energetic performance carries the song through a range of emotional peaks and valleys, from smooth, dark verses to gritty, soaring choruses. The use of subtle dynamics and textures shows meticulous attention to detail, demonstrating White-Gluz‘s intent to craft a tribute that remains true to Chris Cornell‘s style and delivery.
“I felt that I needed to try to embody his unique power and swagger when delivering the vocals here,” she comments. “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.”
Finally, drummer Charlie Benante of Anthrax lays the beat down with care and intention, closely matching the dynamic structure of the original song. Always playing slightly behind the beat, Benante alternates lighter and heavier playing to recreate the signature sound of “The Day I Tried To Live”.
“This is one of my favorite Soundgarden songs,” Benante comments. “I just love everything about the song. I especially love the ending, I never expected it to end the way it ends. It’s just a beautiful piece of music. Matt’s playing on this tune really compliments the song so much. I just tried to stay true to that.”
The LP featuring “The Day I Tried To Live” and “Rusty Cage” is available exclusively on the Reigning Phoenix Music webstore, Soundgarden webstore, and King Ultramega webstore.
A limited run of 500 purple vinyls (available to US purchasers) and 300 lilac vinyls (available to European purchasers) will go on sale beginning November 7, to commemorate Soundgarden‘s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
