After 16 years, Soundgarden releases an album. Not just any album – it’s an album that signifies a healthy reunion and the fact that they’ve got still what it takes to be an American grunge band. Which bodes really well for us because it has been far too long since the good ol’ days of good quality grunge.
So 16 years later, here we are picking up a copy of Soundgarden’s brand spanking new album, “King Animal”, and here’s what we thought of it. We’ll start with the title track off the album, “Been Away Too Long”:
Quite frankly, we can’t think of a better song to be pushing as the first single off “King Animal”, what more the first Soundgarden single in way more than a decade. Nothing screams “comeback” quite like “Been Away Too Long”. It also sounds like the band invested a lot of words and thoughts about their hiatus into the song.
Its lyrics are testament to that:
Hey, no one knows me,
No one saves me,
No one loves or hates me,
But its fate.
I only ever really wanted a break,
I’ve been away for too long.
No I never really wanted to stay,
I’ve been away for too long.
Throughout the entire album, the band proves clear that they haven’t lost the recipe or “how-to”s despite being out of the scene for so long. But the one that stood out the most amongst rest is “By Crooked Steps”. It isn’t “banging” (as expected from the band) per se, but it also doesn’t stray very far from the older Soundgarden signature style. And by that, we mean the hard rock rhythm and contorted riffs:
Oh, and by the way, the music video above was directed by Dave Grohl (of the Foo Fighters). See if you can spot a certain cameo by a certain “mouse”.
Ah, the Soundgarden boys (can we still call them “boys”) must be proud of themselves. Hardly anyone can stay away from the spotlight for so long and still come back with an album worthy of so much attention and maybe some multi-platinums. Clearly, grunge is not dead. At least not for them. A for effort!
Soundgarden’s “King Animal” is available now at a music store near you. Alternatively, you could also purchase the album off iTunes here.
For more information, visit the band’s official website.