Episode 20: Mark Menghi (King Ultramega, Metal Allegiance)

Mark Menghi certainly didn’t take the traditional route to prominence in the rock and metal world.  In fact, if you look back at his story, it might sound pretty familiar.  For starters, he worked at a record store he frequented often, the legendary Looney Tunes in West Babylon on Long Island.  Inspired by the likes of Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and Cliff Burton-era Metallica, he began playing in local bands during his youth that scrapped their way through every tiny venue with the same do-it-yourself ethos that every other band starting up tends to inherently have. 

Though his journey as a musician stalled for a bit, Mark found himself with an opportunity to work on the business side of the music industry. He began to build a rolodex of contacts that read like a “Who’s Who” of the rock and metal world.  In time, Menghi would call upon these friends to form Metal Allegiance, which first performed in 2015.  He would also tour with Joe Satriani, one of his first contacts from the business side of the music world, in 2023 and get to perform in front of a crowd at his hometown theater at Jones Beach. 

But despite all the star-studded recordings and performances in the rock and metal world, the one artist who remained a constant in Mark’s world as a music fan was Chris Cornell.  As any rock music fan of the 1990s and 2000s, Cornell’s music was as inescapable as it was beyond reproach, as Soundgarden, Temple of the Dog, Audioslave, and his solo material dominated the airwaves and eardrums of every self-respecting music fan during that time.  Menghi’s introduction to Cornell came a bit before the casual grunge fan during his days working at Looney Tunes.  His friend and co-worker handed him a cassette of Louder than Love, Soundgarden’s 1989 major label debut for A&M.  From that day forward, Cornell would become Menghi’s musical constant. 

That love for his music has now inspired Menghi’s latest musical endeavor.  Named King Ultramega, the project features famous guest musicians from the rock and metal community who share his admiration for Chris Cornell covering songs from his many projects.  I had a chance to speak to Mark about this new project and many other topics, including: 

• his musical journey, local Long Island record stores and concert venues, and the importance of the Jones Beach Theater.
• how his love for Soundgarden developed, his impetus to start the King Ultramega project, and how he decided to turn it into a full album’s worth of songs.
• having the blessings of Vicky Cornell and Kim Thayil for King Ultramega, the gravity of having Kim re-record one of his own songs for it, and the great care needed to curate a project with such a legendary name attached to it. 
• recording “Rusty Cage” with William DuVall, Bill Kelliher, and Charlie Benante, the adventurous decision to have Joe Satriani cover Chris’ vocal line in “Be Yourself,” and speculation on my part as to what song Alissa White-Gluz from Arch Enemy will be featured on.
• the timeline for King Ultramega’s releases including the hyped October single, talk of the new Metal Allegiance record that will be released in 2026, playing Cliff Burton’s bass, and commiserating over missing Ozzy’s final show.
• mourning the loss of Brent Hinds, compassion for his friends in Mastodon, revealing that Brent was supposed to be featured on a track from King Ultramega, and reflections on Mark’s journey to where he is today in the music world.

Speaking with Mark, it’s clear that he understands what this project mean