Soundgarden life and biography

Seattle-based rock band Soundgarden came into the music world to define the sound what came to be called “grunge.” Contemporary with famous groups such as Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin, they are usually considered one of the “big four” of the 90s' Seattle grunge bands, alonside Aline in Chains, Nirvana and of course, Pearl Jam.

Their 1994 album Superunknown is a classic of 90s rock.

Soundgarden were formed in 1984 by Chris Cornell (drums, vocals), Kim Thayil (guitar) and Hiro Yamamoto (bass). After an EP, Screaming Life (1987), they released their debut album Ultramega OK in 1988, which earned them a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance. Louder Than Love was released in 1989 before the previous EP was re-released with a further EP, Fopp, which had been released initially in 1988.

After a short detour for Cornell and Cameron to record as Temple of the Dog with members of Pearl Jam (formed to honor their friend, Mother Love Bone's Andy Wood who had died of an overdose), Badmotorfinger was released in 1991. This release was overshadowed by the worldwide success of Nirvana's Nevermind. However, Soundgarden was able to bask in some reflected glory as Nirvana's new fans began to pay attention to Soundgarden's similar sound.
They had only to wait until their next release, Superunknown (1994) for the spotlight to turn to them fully. The single "Black Hole Sun" was particularly successful, hitting the higher reaches of the US and UK charts, and Superunknown became widely regarded as a landmark of the grunge era.

Down on the Upside (1996) was Soundgarden's last studio album. It moved away from the grunge sound which had been their trademark, but the change of direction was not what they all wanted. Rifts formed which finally cracked the band open. During the tour for the album in 1997, the band split.

Each of the band members went their separate ways, including Cornell's lead part in Audioslave. Drummer Cameron continued his role as Pearl Jam's drummer. A-Sides was their post break-up swan song until 2010's compilation release,Telephantasm accompanied by the news that the band had reformed.

Late 2010, Soundgarden has played a handful of shows and appearances on late night TV. In 2012 , the band announced their comeback in music with the release of a new album (yet-to-be titled) and also worked for the soundtrack of Marvel's movie The Avengers Assemble. They stated that the new album will actually “pick up where they left off.” The comeback single is called "Live To Rise".

The band also prepares to perform seven UK tour dates this fall (October 24 – November 1).

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