Soundgarden Close to Finishing Heartfelt Final Album With Chris Cornell’s Last Recordings

Soundgarden's final studio album with Chris Cornell on vocals is moving closer to completion. Drummer Matt Cameron told Billboard that work has passed the halfway mark. The music dates back to 2015, when the band first started laying down these tracks.

A 2023 agreement with Cornell's estate made this album possible. This deal gave the band rights to use Cornell's final recordings, as reported by Rolling Stone.

The studio work stirs deep feelings. Cameron opened up, “Hearing (Cornell's) voice on these powerful hard rock songs is the most empowering thing in the world for me. Then I listen to his voice soloed up when I'm working on stuff, or if Kim or Ben is working on something, and it all comes back to the fact that he's not with us and he left us in a way that has so many questions. It's been gut-wrenching but at the same time very empowering,” he told Billboard.

Guitarist Kim Thayil spoke about finishing what they started. "Our objective and goal was always to complete that," he mentioned in a Rolling Stone interview.

This is the band's first new music since King Animal dropped in 2012. Recording began in 2015 but stopped when Cornell died in May 2017.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will welcome Soundgarden on November 8 in Los Angeles. Disney+ will stream the event live.