Chris Cornell has unveiled a brand new track “The promise”, a power ballad written for the new Christian Bale movie of the same name.
The Terry George-directed film is a historical drama about a love triangle set in the last days of the Ottoman Empire.
It premiered last fall at the Toronto International Film Festival and opens in theaters April 21.
About this project, Chris said: “The film and plot are your band mates and the song has to be true to the story and the characters in it. 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. 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. Even in the U.S., the warning signs — isolating groups based on race and religion — are evident. We really need to tell these stories and keep telling them in as many different ways as we can. As humans, we have a tremendous capacity to trudge ahead in our lives and not look at the difficult and challenging moments… but I think it’s important. Educating ourselves on the past is the best way to understand the present and avoid future atrocities by understanding and intervening. We must educate and stand as one to combat this fear and violence, and as citizens of the world, work to protect each other’s human rights.”
Recorded with a 24-piece orchestra and Grammy Award-winning composer, arranger, conductor and producer Paul Buckmaster, the proceeds of the song will be donated to The International Rescue Committee, a charity that responds to humanitarian crises by helping to restore health, education and economic wellbeing, among other things, to people stricken by conflict.
