Superunknown - Soundgarden

Soundgarden are my personal favourite of all the Nineties grunge bands (though "grunge" is a term I don't especially like to use- it's more a label for others to recognise them by)- although Alice in Chains come a close second. Soundgarden were much more of a classic rock / metal band than the others- certainly that was their background- and this album, "Superunknown" saw them at the pinnacle of their powers as a dark, powerful groove machine with a singer (Chris Cornell) who had a great classic rock voice- clean, strong and emotive. Although the music is heavier than either, there is something both Black Sabbath and Bad Company in them- ...  Read the complete review

One of the first CDs I ever bought was the single of The Day I Tried to Live. I'm not sure how I heard it, probably on the ITV Chart Show on a Saturday morning (Christ we're going back a bit now). Anyway, one listen and I was hooked on Soundgarden. I went out and bought Superunknown shortly afterwards and was totally blown away. I was already a fan of early nineties hard rock and had flirted with grunge in the shape of Nirvana, as had most of my friends, but Soundgarden, along with the Smashing Pumpkins offered something different. I think the best think I heard about Superunknown was that each song on the album had its own identity, but as a whole, the album ...  Read the complete review

Soundgarden compromised 4 band members Chris Cornell (who went on to form Audioslave with members of Rage Against the machine) on vocals and guitar, Kim Thayil on guitar, Matt Cameron (now with Pearl Jam) on drums and Mellotron for 'Mailman' and Ben Shepherd on bass, vocals on 'Half' and 'Spoonman', percussion on 'Head Down' and guitar on 'Half'. One of the forerunners for grunge, they had been recording since 1988 and were one of the most influential bands during the 1990s. Released in 1994, Soundgarden's forth album, Superunknown finally gave the band the recognition and credibility they deserved. The album is experimental and diverse. In general the album uses ...  Read the complete review

With the current crop of crap American bands indulging in post-grunge miserabilism, such as Staind, Puddle of Mudd and Nickleback, I began wondering if the mid-1990’s Seattle plaid-shirt explosion was actually a beneficial musical phenomenon. In reality, it probably produced more dire bands than great ones – for every Nirvana there is a Bush, for every Pearl Jam, there is a Creed. None of the angst-lite bands around at the moment have the passion, talent, or integrity to produce music as heartfelt and raggedly beautiful as any of the former grunge pioneers, and certainly, none of them will ever make an album as wonderful as ‘Superunknown’. ...  Read the complete review

It steals your soul" Of the big Seattle based early 1990s grunge/alternative bands...none were bigger or more revered than Soundgarden. Even Nirvana, who are universally acclaimed, trail behind the mighty works of this super-group who sadly, under increading commercial pressure, buckled in 1997. Superunknown is their finest work of art, revealing the sort of genius songwriting, raging guitars and beautifully polished vocals that tower above other bands of the time in terms of production and ingenuity. Chris Cornell is impossible to ignore, his voice being both immensely powerful whilst still being fragile and delicately balanced, and Kim Thayil ...  Read the complete review