The surviving members of Soundgarden are moving forward with an intense, deeply personal mission to finish the band’s final legacy. Guitarist Kim Thayil recently opened up in a raw interview with LifeMinute editor-in-chief Joann Butler, confirming that himself, bassist Ben Shepherd, and drummer Matt Cameron are actively working to complete unreleased tracks featuring late frontman Chris Cornell. According to Thayil, this is not a standard release cycle, stating plainly that the project is about honor and “doing right by our partner and friend.”
The unreleased tracks have been locked away for over a decade, with some material originating 14 or 15 years ago in various stages of development. Thayil described the remaining files as raw skeletons that the band must now fleshed out. “There were things that had been demoed by me, by Matt, by Chris, by Ben,” Thayil revealed. “They’re very rough. They’re sketches. You start with a little pencil sketch, and you fill it in with whatever, chalks or oils or pastels. And that’s what we have to do, is finish the sketches.”
To help realize this sonic vision, Soundgarden has reunited in the studio with legendary producer Terry Date, the mastermind behind the distinct, heavy production of their definitive albums Louder Than Love and Badmotorfinger. Musically, the new tracks promise a return to the band’s classic, multi-dimensional identity. Thayil teased that the upcoming material balances the expected elements with uncharted territory, describing it as “sort of bluesy, sort of psychedelic, sort of folky, I guess all the things that we were known for.”
However, the road to this point has been heavily compromised by a bitter, years-long legal dispute with Vicky Cornell, the widow and representative of Chris’s estate, which completely halted production for years. Thayil did not mask his frustration regarding how the legal gridlock affected their creative momentum. “The delay in the process was damaging in some ways to the emotive nature of the experience,” Thayil admitted, noting how painful it is to wonder how this creative journey would have felt if they had been allowed to undertake it six, seven, or eight years ago.
Facing Cornell’s isolated vocal tracks in the studio without him has proven to be an immense psychological hurdle for the remaining members. Drummer Matt Cameron previously confessed to The Seattle Times that the process is a massive emotional roller coaster, specifically noting how challenging it is to hear that beautiful voice come through the speakers all on its own. Echoing that sentiment, Thayil stated that while they are incredibly proud of the music and are finally “pretty close” to wrapping it up, stepping into the studio to face the past head-on is a heavy burden, admitting that “sometimes listening to it, it’s overpowering.”
