Metallica have released a special vinyl record in honour of Soundgarden's Chris Cornell as part of the band's Vinyl Club.
The release contains covers of songs from Soundgarden's 1988 album, Ultramega OK, including All Your Lies and Head Injury, which were both performed by Metallica at the I Am The Highway Chris Cornell tribute concert in 2019.
The performance was carried over onto vinyl and produced by Greg Fidelman, mixed by Jim Monti and mastered by Billy Joe Bowers. The vinyl's artwork, clearly inspired by Metallica's Hardwired... to Self-Destruct cover, features James Hetfield and co.'s faces juxtaposed into a cut out of Chris Cornell, and was designed by Pearl Jam's Jeff Ament.
Drummer Lars Ulrich states, "Thank you for your musk, thank you for the words, for your thoughts... 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 honour 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."
The release caught the attention of Chris Cornell's family, including widow Vicky, daughter Toni and son Christopher. In a joint Instagram post dedicated to the tribute offering, the family wrote: "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.
"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."
Daughter Toni individually commented on the post stating: Thank you @metallica for honoring my dad and helping keep his memory alive."
The new issue of Classic Rock, which celebrates 30 years of Metallica's seminal Black Album album with new interviews and insights, is on sale now.
