For my one year anniversary of writing at Epinions, I decided to review one of my favorite albums, one that constantly can be found in my stereo, one that can be considered a modern rock masterpiece in it's own right.

With the release of Superunknown in 1994 Soundgarden had finally achieved the mainstream success they deserved, creating a 70 minute masterpiece of dark moods and bleak lyrics. At last, Soungarden were spoken of at the same level as their peers Nirvana and Pearl Jam.

This might very well be tied with Nirvana's In Utero for the "Most Depressing Album of the 1990's" award. However while In Utero thrives on it's visceral and personal song themes, Superunknown dwells in less specific territory when it comes to songs. As a whole, Superunknown gives off a feeling of amazement at the power and beauty of the end of the world, rather than fear of it.

Superunknown is probably Soundgarden's most commercial and radio friendly release, but also their most consistent. Of the 15 tracks on the album, there isn't a single song that can be considered bad, although a few are experimental and might not be to everyone's taste.

Since their formation in Seattle in 1984, Soundgarden were always likened to 70's bands like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin by critics. There is some degree of credibility to that, however, as Soundgarden incorporates both the doom laden and slow riffing of Sabbath and the grand melodies of Zeppelin to great success on this album. There's also journeys into psychedelia and Middle Eastern music on a few songs. Although Superunknown isn't as heavy and extreme as it's predecessor Badmotorfinger, it makes up for it with a greater emphasis on melody.

Singer/guitarist Chris Cornell tones down his sometimes wild shrieking of the early days into a more soulful croon and Kim Thayil no longer feels the need to come up with super heavy guitar riffs, replacing them with more subtle accents but still contributing his wapred guitar solos. Bassist Ben Shepherd contributes 2 of the oddest songs on the album, "Head Down" and "Half", while drummer Matt Cameron mans the drums, often keeping the songs in unusual timing but never making them seem out of place.

"Let Me Drown" is an effective opener, basically being a standard, crunchy rock song but never losing it's catchy melody. Cameron plays a hard driving beat, and toward the middle of the song the music takes a psychedelic turn into one of the most beautiful bridges I've heard, followed by a solo, and then back into the song. "My Wave" is possibly the most radio friendly song on the album, with a sort of "boogie till you drop" feel to it. Cornell makes a statement about political correctness, singing "Hate if you want to hate, if it keeps you safe, if it makes you brave" and then "Don't come over here, p*ss on my gate, save it, just keep it off my wave." In this way, a message of "Do what you want to but keep it away from me" is presented. The song is a bit too long though, and winds up feeling repetitive.

Of the other rockers on the album, "Superunknown" is a psychedelic and uptempo rocker, with an odd guitar riff. The music matches the title, being like an acid trip with swirling colors, at least that's how it comes out to me. "Spoonman" is probably the song that sticks out the most on the album, being the happiest sounding. Shepherd's funky bass riff and the catchy chorus made this the first single released. Artis the spoonman makes an appearance to play the spoons here, adding a nice touch to the overall mood of the song. However I never really felt this was one of the band's best songs, it just seems too out of place on Superunknown. "Fresh Tendrils" has Cameron showing off his drumming skills, and the guitar riffs fit the song very well.

Other songs sound like a return to the old days of slow, murky riffing. "4th Of July" has to be one of the best songs by the band, it's creeping pace making it sound like a funeral dirge. Cornell overdubbed his voice for the song, allowing him to sing in both a high pitched voice and low baritone, giving the song an even creepier feeling. His lyrics of a post-nuclear war world are unnerving: "Down in the hole, Jesus tries to crack a smile, beneath another shovel load." The chorus goes: "And I heard it in the wind, and I saw it in the sky, and I thought it was end, I thought it was the 4th of July."

"Mailman" is another creepy track. It's also slow and heavy, but like "4th of July" the chorus is catchy. The music serves as the perfect background for Cornell, as he gives a great vocal performance here. "My place was beneath you, but now I am above, and now I send you a message of love" he sings, describing the mindset of a deranged rapist. The anger with which he sings the lines "I know I'm headed for the bottom but I'm riding you all the way" make the song all the more eerie. "Limo Wreck" has some more apocalyptic lyrics, along with Thayil adding some of his good guitar touches to the mid-tempo pace of the song.

There's also my favorite Soundgarden song, "The Day I Tried To Live." I could write paragraphs about what this song means to me, but I'll try to keep it short: this is an amazing song. The guitar intro is like waking up on a day you know will be different than normal. Cornell stretches his voice to sing lines like "The day I tried to live I wallowed in the blood and mud with all the other pigs, and I learned that I was a liar just like you," giving the entire song a majestic feeling. Really, this should be one of the best songs of the decade. Few others have such a grandiose and epic feeling to them.

Of course, there's also "Black Hole Sun", the song that spearheaded the band's commercial breakthrough. It was a natural choice for a single with it's Beatles-type melody and psychedelic tones. Almost everyone has heard this song on the radio sometime, and although the lyrics might seem like they don't make much sense, when put against the background of the music they usually have a powerful effect on the listener. The lyrics "Black hole sun, won't you come, and was away the rain" yearn for a better time. Listen to this song during a hot summer day or a rainy afternoon to get the full effect.

"Fell On Black Days" has another beautiful melody and reaffirms Cornell's place as one of the best singers of our generation. The song has Middle Eastern tinges to it, and again the lyrics do a perfect job to set the mood: "Just when everyday seemed to greet me with a smile, sunspots have faded and now I'm doing time." "Head Down" also resembles the Beatles during their years of experimentation with Middle Eastern music. The largely acoustic song has Cornell singing in an unusual voice, and Cameron provides some more impressive drumming, but the song seems to wander around for too long. "Half" is considered filler by many, but it still has a quirky attractiveness to it. Shepherd sings this song in a strange falsetto and it's pretty short so it doesn't bother me that much.

"Kickstand" has the band returning to their punk influenced roots, churning out a fast and short track. It doesn't really add anything to the album but doesn't take away form it either. The 7 minute album closer "Like Suicide" is another grandiose achievement for the band. Cornell sings his introspective lyrics in a peaceful voice over the hypnotizing music. Lines like "Bit down on the bullet now, I had a taste of sour had to think of something sweet, Love's like suicide" give a new turn on heartbroken ballads. Of course this isn't just a ballad, and Thayil's minute long guitar solo proves that. This is a majestic song, a perfect closer to a perfect album.

The 1990's spawned many great bands, and without question Soundgarden was one of them. Despite their unfortunate breakup, they left us this dark masterpiece to enjoy. Any fan of music should experience this album to see just what a powerful tool music can be for expressing emotion.



Recommended: Yes