The supergroup King Ultramega are back at it once again, paying homage to the late Chris Cornell with yet another amazing cover. This time, the group decided to take on Temple of the Dog‘s classic “Say Hello 2 Heaven” with a slightly altered lineup from their previous performance.
Metal Allegiance bassist Mark Menghi is the King Ultramega mastermind, collecting a group of name musicians to cover some of Cornell’s most beloved tracks. As with the first song released by the group, Anthrax and Pantera celebration drummer Charlie Benante is also back on drums. But the third ingredient to this Temple of the Dog cover is new to the equation.
Who Is Singing and Playing Guitar on King Ultramega’s “Say Hello 2 Heaven”?
The third piece of the latest King Ultramega cover is singer-guitarist Richie Kotzen of The Winery Dogs, Mr. Big and Poison fame. Recent years have seen Kotzen team up with Iron Maiden’s Adrian Smith for a pair of albums while also furthering his solo career. Take a listen to the latest King Ultramega cover, “Say Hello 2 Heaven,” below. It’s currently available for streaming as well.
King Ultramega, “Say Hello 2 Heaven”
What King Ultramega Had to Say About Their “Say Hello 2 Heaven” Cover
The original “Say Hello 2 Heaven” was penned by Cornell while a member of Temple of the Dog, a band and album conceived specifically to pay tribute to Cornell’s onetime roommate, late Mother Love Bone frontman Andrew Wood.
Wood had died of a overdose just before Mother Love Bone’s debut album was set to come out. Cornell gathered former Mother Love Bone players Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament to be part of the creative process for the Temple of the Dog album.
This song in particular resonated with Kotzen, who shared, “I lost my sister to suicide in 2022, and that kind of loss changes how you experience certain songs. It’s not something I set out to bring into the session, but it showed up. That’s when it stopped feeling like just a tribute and became something more personal.”
Mark Menghi, who designed King Ultramega as a way to pay tribute to Cornell’s works, shared that “Say Hello 2 Heaven” was one of the key tracks early on in putting this collection of music together due to its message.
“The lyrical message in ‘Say Hello 2 Heaven’ strikes a chord when you think back on how Chris wrote about Andrew’s untimely passing and here we are over 30 years later paying tribute to Chris with his song about his untimely passing. It’s an emotional rollercoaster to say the least,” said the bassist.
Benante also signed on as he shared that “Say Hello 2 Heaven” had been one of his favorite songs and he was a huge fan of Mother Love Bone.
What Else Has King Ultramega Covered?
King Ultramega first graced us with new music back in July. At that point, Menghi started off the project by introducing his all-star collective’s cover of Soundgarden’s “Rusty Cage.” In addition to Menghi and Benante, the group was rounded out by Mastodon guitarist Bill Kelliher and Alice in Chains‘ vocalist William DuVall.
READ MORE: Chris Cornell Changed Soundgarden Bandmate’s Mind About Rock Hall Induction
That was then followed in September by “Be Yourself,” which found Menghi playing alongside guitarist Joe Satriani and drummer Kenny Aronoff.
Each new King Ultramega offering has been designed to raise funds and awareness for the MusiCares organization that has been backed by the Recording Academy to provide mental health and addiction recovery services.
Menghi had previously teased that Kim Thayil and Alissa White-Gluz are also on board for future releases.
King Ultramega, “Rusty Cage”
King Ultramega, “Be Yourself”
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Gallery Credit: Chad Childers