Review Summary: This is an album I really like but not the best I´ve ever heard by these guys.
This is my first review so bare with me, please.
Growing up in a town where you are surronded by tractor/engine-loving farmers you can get pretty frustrated sometimes, especially if these people listen to really bad music. But this is what I go through every day, and yes, it is terrible. Pretty much all the time. So what do you do? Well, of course you start listening to music that understands you. Or at least you think so. So when I started listening to Soundgarden about a year ago I was instantly hooked. By the riffs, the amazing voice of Chris Cornell and the weird but at the same time poetic lyrics. So naturally, I was excited when I heard that they´re making a new album, King Animal, which is today´s review.
One thing people can say about many bands is that is just another [band name here] album. But with Soundgarden you can´t quite say that. Basically because every album sound´s different. And King Animal is no exception. The first single and opening track is pretty well named, "Been Away Too Long" since this is their first new studio album in sixteen years. The riff is, as with most Soundgarden songs, great but not the best track on the record. That is in my opinion the second single, "By Crooked Steps". Everything about it is great, from the guitars to the ingenious repetitive lyrics towards the end. "Rowing", the last track, is also great and the best riff goes to "A Thousand Days Before". But how do I like it compared to Badmotorfinger or Superunknown? I don´t like like to say this because the chliché bar will smash the roof, but it´s not their greatest record, their older stuff were better. I mean, I got a couple of new favourite songs (at least for this week) and they are in my opinion the best 90´s grunge band to still exist, since Pearl Jam sucks and Alice in Chains are pretty good and I never even listened to Stone Temple Pilots so I guess it´s not fair to judge them, but I´m going to do it anyway.
But I digress.
So, did I get the same feeling I got when I listened to Outshined, Spoonman, Black Hole Sun or even Searching With My Good Eye Closed for the first time? Sorry guys, but I didn´t. This is a really good record but it´s not their greatest and I`m looking forward to see what they got in store for next time. And since I´m a huge Soundgarden fan, I´m not going to turn my back on them, because as I said, this is a good record and I´m glad I got it so I´m hoping they´re gonna keep it up and do much more awesome music.
