Metallica Release Vinyl Tribute to Chris Cornell Featuring Soundgarden Covers

800px-Chris_Cornell_CU_28613946112629 — Josh Jensen from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Published on: Aug 18, 2021, 10:29 AM

by The Pit

In January of 2019, a massive tribute concert to late Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell was held at the Los Angeles Forum. The tribute, titled ‘I Am The Highway,’ included massive artists like Fiona Apple, Foo Fighters, Miley Cyrus, the remaining members of Soundgarden, and Metallica performing tributes to the fallen rock singer. Now, Metallica have released a record containing their live tributes to Cornell’s legacy, as part of their Vinyl Club.

The album contains two Soundgarden covers, “All Your Lies” and “Head Injury,” both from Soundgarden’s 1988 record Ultramega OK. The record’s cover depicts Cornell in a collage of faces similar to those adorning Metallica’s 2016 album Hardwired…to Self Destruct.

“Thank you for your musk, thank you for the words, for your thoughts,” said drummer Lars Ulrich in tribute to Cornell. “Thank you for the shows, thank you for the good times, for putting yourself out there… and thank you, along with your fellow bandmates, for giving us something that inspired us, excited us, meant something, moved us, and not only gave us belief in the possibilities, but turned us the fuck on.

“What an honor to have known you, to have shared the stage with you and created next level memories, and ultimately to have been included in the L.A. celebration of your life, which allowed us the opportunity to share with the world just how much your music and your brilliance meant to us.”

“Thank you so much to Metallica for the love and appreciation that you have shown for Chris and for memorializing that love, admiration and support from your performances at the I Am the Highway tribute on this truly amazing and special vinyl,” said Chris’ widow Vicky, son Christopher, and daughter Toni in a statement.

“Joining the tribute concert meant so much to me and my children and to so many fans around the world… And I know how proud Chris would be, not only because you were there as his friends, but also because he was such a huge Metallica fan.

“Thank you so much and thank you Lars for your very kind words about Chris. It is true that ‘a man is not dead while his name is still spoken.’ Thank you for continuing to honor him. Loudlove. Vicky, Toni and Christopher.”