> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.thisdayinmetal.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # They Say If You Look Hard, You'll Find Your Way Back Home: An Interview with Mark Menghi (King Ultramega, Metal Allegiance) - URL: https://www.thisdayinmetal.com/they-say-if-you-look-hard-youll-find-your-way-back-home-an-interview-with-mark-menghi-king-ultramega-metal-allegiance/ - Published: 2025-09-25T20:28:54.000Z - Updated: 2025-09-25T20:28:54.000Z - Author: Ed Hackimer - Tags: Interviews, #interviews, Mark Menghi, Chris Cornell, King Ultramega, Metal Allegiance, Bill Kelliher, Joe Satriani, William DuVall, Charlie Benante, Alissa White-Gluz, Brent Hinds **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 in Nassau and Suffolk County, as well as Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan with the same do-it-yourself ethos that every other band starting up tends to inherently have. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/e2/dbe2ac7e-62ef-4b13-917a-63221a045127/content/images/2025/09/Screen-Shot-2025-09-23-at-9.00.43-PM.png) Though his journey as a musician stalled for a bit in his early twenties, **Mark** found himself with an opportunity to work on the business side of the music industry. Slowly but surely, 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 on the **Motorboat Cruise** with **Motorhead** in 2015\. Originally featuring **Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater), Dave Ellefson (Megadeth),** and **Alex Skolnick (Testament)**, the group has gone on to record two full-length albums and one covers EP with **Mark** as the key master and main lyricist for the group’s original works. Those featured on the two **Metal Allegiance** records read like a veritable metal Hall of Fame: **Phil Anselmo, Randy Blythe, Troy Sanders, Gary Holt, Chuck Billy, Cristina Scabbia, Doug Pinnick, Ripper Owens, Alissa White-Gluz, Rex Brown,** and **Charlie Benante**; just to name a few. 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**, a place where he’d only been a spectator previously. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/e2/dbe2ac7e-62ef-4b13-917a-63221a045127/content/images/2025/09/Screen-Shot-2025-09-24-at-8.26.48-PM.png) But despite all the star-studded recordings and performances in the rock and metal world, the one artist who remained a constant for **Mark** 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. **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. All proceeds from **King Ultramega** go directly to **MusiCares**, a charity that provides health, financial, and rehabilitation resources to music people in times of need. 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. You can view the entire interview **HERE:** --- Speaking with **Mark,** it’s clear that he understands what this project means to so many people, which explains him being painstakingly meticulous and respectful in his process of creating the final product. Though I doubt the kid who first popped in that *Louder than Love* cassette would believe he would be the one to do it, **Mark’s** journey to this moment certainly started at the first note of “Ugly Truth.” Through all the famous guest appearances and big names attached to this project, at its core, this is the story of a music fan paying tribute to his favorite artist who he loved way before that fan had any inkling of fame. Perhaps **Chris’** own words on “Zero Chance” sum it up best: “They say if you look hard, you’ll find your way back home.” --- The first two singles from **King Ultramega,** "Rusty Cage" and "Be Yourself,"are available on all major streaming platforms. The third single should be released in early October and so on, ultimately resulting in a full-length record being released through **Reigning Phoenix Music**later next year.