7/10

Mercury | 12.11.12

2012 has been a big year for the recently reunited Soundgarden. After playing their first UK shows in over 15 years at the Download and Hard Rock Calling festivals this Summer and recording ÔÇÿLive To RiseÔÇÖ for MarvelÔÇÖs Avengers Assemble in April, the Seattle grunge icons, who rose to fame alongside bands such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam in the early 90ÔÇÖs, have released King Animal, their first studio album since 1996ÔÇÖs Down On The Upside.

Lead single ÔÇÿBeen Away Too LongÔÇÖ opens the album, an up-tempo hard rocker similar in style to tracks such as ÔÇÿRusty CageÔÇÖ. From the Superunkown-esque unorthodox time signatures of ÔÇÿBy Crooked StepsÔÇÖ to the semi-acoustic ÔÇÿHalfway ThereÔÇÖ, the band explore all different areas of their sound. Lead singer Chris Cornell (also of Casino Royale theme tune ÔÇÿYou Know My NameÔÇÖ fame) sounds in great form, his Robert Plant-influenced vocals providing an effective partnership with Kim ThayilÔÇÖs guitar playing, which recalls After the Goldrush-era Neil Young one minute and Paranoid-era Black Sabbath the next. King Animal sounds a lot more natural than ÔÇÿLive to RiseÔÇÖ or CornellÔÇÖs more recent solo work and despite being more solid than spectacular, this should be the album that Soundgarden fans have been waiting for for over a decade.

Alec Evans