Just a few months ago, Soundgarden achieved one of the highest honors in all of music with their induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. It all started in the ’80s when Chris Cornell, Kim Thayil, and Hiro Yamamoto formed the band. There would be a handful of personnel changes, but in a few years, the group settled into its classic lineup of Cornell, Thayil, Ben Shepherd, and Matt Cameron. They became stars with the release of 1994’s Superunknown, which features the group’s signature song, “Black Hole Sun.” After disbanding in 1997, they reformed in 2010, but called it quits again in 2017 following Cornell’s death.
As Uproxx’s Joypocalypse notes, there are a few key elements that set the group apart from their ’90s peers.
She says:
“Soundgarden: one of the ‘Big Four’ of grunge and one of the defining bands of the ’90s. Soundgarden’s dense, slow-burning grooves built on a mix of open and alternative tuning give them such a distinct sound and tone, along with Chris Cornell’s vocals; definitely one of the frontmen of the ’90s.”
Joy concludes, “Soundgarden brings a very expansive grandeur to the ‘Big Four’ of grunge with their sludgy, droning, and occasionally psychedelic textures, a sound that makes them so instantly recognizable.”
Check out the video above.