Every time a 90s rock band rears it’s greasy head from a decade or more of obscurity, I buy the album for nostalgia’s sake only to end up filing it in the overflowing folder of “albums never to give a shit about again.â€
Alice In Chain’s 2009 effort minus their iconic frontman was a sad parody of the band that used to write grunge that was so heavy just listening to it instantly addicted you to heroin.
Stone Temple Pilots and Hole both dropped Frankenstenian albums in 2010 that were nothing more than a sum of the decaying, disused parts from previous albums haphazardly sewn together and zapped (briefly) back to life to terrorise the villagers.
Garbage’s recent album Not Your Kind Of People literally had one decent track on it and the recent Smashing Pumpkins album Oceania, whilst being the best of a bad bunch, was nothing we haven’t all heard before.
Which brings us to Soundgarden’s latest effort, King Animal (in stores today!). You remember Soundgarden right? Growly, screamy vocals, monster grunge riffs, Jesus-complex lyrics (complete with hair and goatee), drums tighter than a nun’s… moral code…
Soundgarden! Back before Chris Cornell joined Audioslave and dragged both the name of Soundgarden and Rage Against The Machine through the mud? Before he decided to team up with Timberlake and record the 2009 solo album Scream, which affirmed what a gigantic fucking worthless douche he was all along?
Ok, maybe that last sentence was a little harsh. I mean shit, a failing grunge musician’s gotta eat right? But to hear one of the best lyricists of the 90s sing “That chick ain’t a part of me†was the final nail in the coffin for me.
I wrote Cornell off completely, as did millions of others, so what did he do? He picked up the phone, called Kim, Matt and Ben and was like, “Guys, I fucked up, please let’s get Soundgarden back together and make a fucking face-melting album so the world can stop laughing at me behind my back.â€
Is King Animal that face-melting album? Until I hear it, I have no fucking idea, but the first single, “Been Away Too Long†is pretty much stock-standard, meat and potatoes Badmotorfinger-era Soundgarden.
Check it:
Huh. Promising? I honestly don’t know. I’ve been let down so many times by 90s rock bands in recent years that I’m starting to think they all should have gone the Cobain route and eaten some buckshot while they were still popular and relevant.
Lemme get my hands on this filthy basterd and who knows? Maybe I’ll shock everyone’s pants off and write an album review – remember when I used to do those?
Yeah, me neither 
-ST
Oooooh I LOOOOOOVE Soundgarden.
We’ve basically taken to stalking them, having seen them Friday at the first gig of their tour for this new album — the third concert since June.
Prior to today you could stream the new album off the NME.com site – its good.
But then again, I’m biased. Stalker of Chris Cornell is prbably not the best person to believe (I liked Audioslave too-but I also thought Screem was total shite, but I blame Timberland and Timberlake for that) 😀
Y’know, having found another stream for the album and given it a few spins, I think you’re right. It is good. A damn side better than their contemporaries and there were even one or two tracks that hooked me the first time I heard them (“Bones Of Birds” I think it’s called? Fucking amazing track).
But lemme chew through it a couple more times before I pass final judgement 😉
-ST
Album is pretty awesome. I’ve only listened to it once so I haven’t been able to get into the lyrics and find favourite songs etc. yet. But it sounds like Soundgarden, not like an over-aged cover band trying to squeeze the last bit of rock and roll out of their lives…
Yeah, it ain’t half bad! It’s vintage Soundgarden, no doubt about that.
You can’t fault a bad for sounding like themselves and doing it fucking well.
-ST
Yeah i reckon the album i a keeper tracks like Bones of birds, Taree and Blood on the valley floor are all very well written addition to an already impressive collection, though i do believe the album lacks the necessary bit of previous Soundgarden releases. Yeah I disagree about the Alice in Chains album, I thought was killer stuff, acid bubble all secrets known and a looking in view are brilliant. That and the Melvins are still going strong from their success in the 90’s, each release is just another surprise to be unleashed.
the more i listen to it the more i love it.
It had to be this band. Pumpkins and Alice in Chains didn’t have it in them..
Write me sometime mofo, it’s holidays, you don’t have an excuse..
dp