As the surviving members of Soundgarden bask in their recent election into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, a notable project continues to linger unfinished: their final album with late frontman Chris Cornell.
For years, the LP has remained in rock purgatory. In 2019 and 2020, Soundgarden and Vicky Cornell, Chris’ widow, exchanged lawsuits. Vicky claimed the surviving members were cutting her out of Chris’ royalty payments, while the band claimed Vicky used funds raised during a 2019 tribute concert for personal means. Unreleased Soundgarden material was caught in the middle of the dispute, and a 2023 settlement didn’t fully resolve the issues as observers expected it would.
Despite the drama, fans have continued holding out hope that Soundgarden’s unheard material with Cornell will finally see the light of day. In a recent conversation with Rolling Stone, guitarist Kim Thayil confirmed it’s still very much in the band’s plans.
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“Our objective and goal was always to complete that [album],” Thayil noted. I probably have OCD enough to not want to leave something unfinished or incomplete like that, so I think the more we can attend to our body of work and our catalog… I think everyone in the band feels that way. I don’t just to attend to my work, but the collective work, and in this case specifically, the work of Chris.”
Final Soundgarden Album Would Be a ‘Gift to the Fans’
“I have pride for what I did and I want to see that come out,” Thayil continued. “It doesn’t exist in the vacuum. It exists as a collaboration with Matt [Cameron] and Ben [Shepherd] and Chris, but it takes on an entirely different weight when you think about what it is you’re honoring, and the work that you’re paying tribute to. It is us collectively. We want to do it proud. And that part of us is certainly one of the most intimate components of what Soundgarden has been since 1984.”
“It would be a great gift to the fans,” Thayil added. “And I do think about this, and I don’t know how strange this sounds, but I feel like it’s a gift to Chris too.”
Soundgarden’s most recent album — the last released during Cornell’s lifetime — was 2012’s King Animal.
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They were part of the Seattle music scene before that was something to be proud of.
Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci
