King Ultramega have released a gripping version of Chris Cornell’s “Dead Wishes featuring Brann Dailor of Mastodon. You can listen to the track below.

For the past year, the all-star collective, helmed by Mark Menghi of Metal Allegiance, have been sharing a series of reimagined versions of songs from across Cornell’s career, drawing on his work, both solo and with Soundgarden and Audioslave.

Each one is recorded in loving memory of the legendary vocalist (who died in 2017), with the goal of raising funds and awareness for MusiCares, the Recording Academy’s nonprofit organization that provides mental health services, addiction recovery services and emergency assistance to members of the music community.

How Mastodon’s Brann Dailor Got Involved

He had a lot of emotional ties to the idea, even though he admits he wasn’t totally familiar with “Dead Wishes” when Menghi first approached him with the idea of singing on it. The prospects of tackling the vocal parts on the track, which originally appeared on Cornell’s 2015 album Higher Truth, were also intimidating.

Still, the drummer had grown up as a fan of both Soundgarden and Cornell. It was something that he had in common with his mother, who was a fellow fan of the band and all things Cornell. “She was a rabid fan of Chris Cornell,” he tells UCR. “She really, really loved his solo stuff.”

“I knew this was for a really great cause and paying homage to one of my biggest vocal and rock heroes [also meant a lot],” he shares. “You know, I got to meet him. We played shows with Soundgarden and Kim Thayil played a guitar solo on our last album [2021’s Hushed and Grim]. And so we have a deep admiration and rich history with with the Soundgarden guys and Chris.”

“My mom passed this past February, so I was like, ‘Mom would be so over the moon about me singing a Chris Cornell song.’ There was a lot of reasons I wanted to participate,” Dailor explains. “My sister committed suicide when she was 14 and so the mental health stuff, anything to help with that is also a big thing for me. Everything sort of aligned with all of it. I was so stoked that he reached out to me to try my hand at singing the song.”

Hear King Ultramega’s ‘Dead Wishes’ Featuring Brann Dailor of Mastodon

Soundgarden Has Been Very Supportive

“I don’t think King Ultramega would exist without Kim Thayil and his blessing and support,” Menghi tells UCR. “You know, when we did ‘The Day I Tried to Live,’ he recorded the guitars for that back in 2020 or 2021. And I sat dormant with it for four or five years. I was like, ‘I don’t know if I want to go down this road.'”

Understandably, the prospects of covering material by Soundgarden and Cornell, it was a daunting thought. Thayil, he shares, was the one “poking the bear,” encouraging the musician and telling him he should move forward, asking him who he was planning to get to sing on the various tracks. “Kim’s really into this, his management is really into this. Ben [Shepherd] and Matt [Cameron] are really into this. Vicky Cornell is really into this. [It means a lot] to have their blessing.”

“It’s humbling that people like Brann, Richie [Kotzen], Joe [Satriani] and all of these guys are taking the time to do this,” he says. “Because again, it’s for a great cause. it’s a charity that means a lot to me. Mental health and doing anything I can to help means a great deal to me. This has been awesome. I appreciate all of the artists who are doing this. It’s humbling, for sure.”

What Other Songs Has King Ultramega Recorded?

The new version of “Dead Wishes” is the sixth single the band has released, joining previous recordings including Audioslave’s “Be Yourself” (featuring Satriani), Temple of the Dog’s “Say Hello 2 Heaven” (with Kotzen and Anthrax’s Charlie Benante) and Soundgarden’s “Rusty Cage” (featuring William DuVall of Alice in Chains).

Fans can see information and watch/hear all of the songs that have been released at the group’s official website, which also has a number of merchandise items available to raise additional funds for MusiCares.

Mental health struggles affect everyone. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline offers free and confidential help and can be reached at 988, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Watch King Ultramega’s ‘Rusty Cage’ Video Featuring William DuVall of Alice in Chains