Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil discussed the unreleased album in a recent interview with Rolling Stone. Legal disputes with Chris Cornell’s estate have held back the release.
“I think so. Our objective and goal was always to complete that,” Thayil said about the album’s eventual release. “I probably have OCD enough to not want to leave something unfinished or incomplete like that, so I think the more we can attend to our body of work and our catalog… I think everyone in the band feels that way. I don’t just to attend to my work, but the collective work, and in this case specifically, the work of Chris.”
“I have pride for what I did and I want to see that come out,” he continued. “It doesn’t exist in the vacuum. It exists as a collaboration with Matt and Ben and Chris. It takes on an entirely different weight when you think about what it is you’re honoring, and the work that you’re paying tribute to. It is us collectively. We want to do it proud. And that part of us is certainly one of the most intimate components of what Soundgarden has been since 1984.”
“It would be a great gift to the fans,” Thayil added. “And I do think about this, and I don’t know how strange this sounds, but I feel like it’s a gift to Chris too.”
The unreleased album remains a subject of ongoing discussions between the band and Cornell’s estate. This marks another chapter in the complex journey of these recordings.
Goldmark Vinyl revealed that the disputed material includes seven tracks. The band recorded these songs in Chris Cornell’s home studio in 2017. They represent the band’s final collaborative work with their late frontman.
Loudwire documented a significant breakthrough in April 2023. Soundgarden and Vicky Cornell reached an amicable resolution. The agreement established a new partnership framework for releasing these final recordings.
The PRP noted that the release process faced additional challenges despite the initial agreement. These ongoing complications have affected the album’s future.
The recordings hold particular historical significance. They capture the last creative collaboration between all four original members of Soundgarden before Cornell’s passing.
