The Chris Cornell tribute project King Ultramega has released a new single, a cover of Soundgarden's progressive metal track "Birth Ritual", continuing its ongoing series of releases honouring the late singer. The recording brings together several notable musicians with direct ties to Cornell and his bandmates, and is being singled out for a standout vocal performance intended to pay fitting tribute to one of rock's most celebrated singers.

The track features Soundgarden's own drummer Matt Cameron, alongside Halestorm's Lzzy Hale on vocals and Joe Hottinger on guitar, with King Ultramega curator Mike Menghi on bass. Hale, who previously appeared on the project's cover of "Loud Love", said she wanted to "meld his incendiary words with my soul", while Hottinger described using an unfamiliar guitar tuning and specific amp choices to capture the song's character. "Birth Ritual" originated as a Badmotorfinger-era outtake before appearing on the Singles soundtrack and later on the rarities compilations Telephantasm and Echoes of Miles; other King Ultramega releases so far include covers of "Rusty Cage", "The Day I Tried to Live" and "Dead Wishes".