THE ANNOUNCEMENT
Soundgarden's surviving members are still in the studio finishing an album built from Chris Cornell's unreleased vocals — but there's no label, no budget, and no release date *. Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron, and Ben Shepherd are working with producer Terry Date on material that's been sitting in various stages of completion for 10 to 15 years, coordinating sessions around their own schedules and obligations *. This isn't a comeback — it's three guys trying to honor what they started with their friend before legal battles and years of delay got in the way.
THE DETAILS
- Producer Terry Date, who helmed *Louder Than Love* (1989) and *Badmotorfinger* (1991), is back behind the board *
- The vocals come from demos recorded together between 2015 and 2017, before Cornell's death *
- At least one confirmed track: "The Road Less Traveled," co-written by Matt Cameron *
- Most of the writing was already complete — the current work focuses on finishing rough demos and recording *
- Cameron says some of the material represents "a new chapter" in the band's sound, different from previous Soundgarden efforts *
- No record label is funding the project, so the band coordinates studio time independently around personal and professional commitments *
- The band settled their legal dispute with Vicky Cornell out of court in April 2023 after years of lawsuits over royalties, recordings, and buyout prices *
WHY IT MATTERS
BUCKET LIST. This is the last Soundgarden album with Chris Cornell's voice — there won't be another. What makes this different from the usual posthumous cash-grab is how hard it's been to get here: years of lawsuits, no label backing, and three guys working on their own dime because they believe the songs deserve to exist *†.