ABC/Randy HolmesChris Cornell has premiered a new solo song called "The Promise." The emotional track starts off as a soft, acoustic ballad before expanding into an orchestral production by the end. You can download "The Promise" now on iTunes, and you can watch the track's accompanying lyric video via YouTube.
The Soundgarden frontman recorded "The Promise" for an upcoming film about the Armenian genocide. The movie, also called The Promise, stars Oscar Isaac and Christian Bale, and opens in theaters April 21. It was previewed at Elton John's Oscar viewing party last month.
"The film and plot are your band mates and the song has to be true to the story and the characters in it," Cornell says in a statement. "'The Promise' to me is mainly about paying homage to those we lost in the Armenian genocide, but it's also about shining a light on more recent atrocities."
"The same methods used in the Armenian genocide were used to carry out crimes against humanity in Bosnia, Darfur, Rwanda and right now in Syria on multiple fronts, contributing to a massive global refugee crisis," he adds. "Unfortunately, the words 'never again' seem like just words when we recall these mass executions of the twentieth century, as well as renewed racism and prejudice around the world."
Proceeds from sales of "The Promise" song will be donated to humanitarian aid and relief organization International Rescue Committee.
Cornell has previously written tracks for the films 12 Years a Slave and Machine Gun Preacher. He also, of course, recorded the theme song for the 2006 James Bond movie Casino Royale.
Meanwhile, Cornell and Soundgarden are working on the band's new album, the follow-up to their 2012 comeback effort King Animal. They'll be traveling the U.S. this spring on a headlining tour starting May 3 in Atlanta.
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