Soundgarden As one of the first bands to record for the legendary Sub Pop Records, Soundgarden is generally regarded as one of the founding fathers of grunge, even though most of their work was of a far more rock/metallic nature than the likes of Pearl Jam, Mudhoney, or Nirvana. From a metallic standpoint, their peak was 1991's Badmotorfinger, with the later albums showing a more alternative side to the band (and also produced their biggest hit single, "Black Hole Sun"). The band parted ways amicably in April of 1997 to pursue other interests. Most notable of these was vocalist Chris Cornell joining forces with the core of Rage Against The Machine in Audioslave. At precisely midnight on January 1, 2010, U.S. EST, Chris Cornell posted on his Twitter and Facebook: "The 12 year break is over & school is back in session. Knights of the Soundtable ride again!" On May 18, 2017, around midnight, vocalist Chris Cornell was found dead in MGM Grand hotel room after a show in Detroit. Fan club & merchandise: Knights Of The Soundtable. Review: Soundgarden debuted as a swaggering, leaden Hard Rock outfit, all flailing hair and meaty Metal riffs -- this was the Soundgarden of "Big Dumb Sex" and "Full On Kevin's Mom." By the time Grunge reached its heyday on MTV, the pages of Rolling Stone, and the radio, the Seattle band had reined in its lunk-headed tendencies and focused on crafting excellent songs such as "Burden In My Hand," "Like Suicide" (the elegiac swansong for Grunge's commercial invincibility), and "Overfloater." They never completely captured the imagination of a generation the way their friends and contemporaries did -- Nirvana were more mercurial, Pearl Jam more anthemic. But more than any other Grunge outfit, Soundgarden demonstrated the influence of '70s Hard Rock on Grunge. Longtime fans claim that Soundgarden softened up over the years, citing the insane crossover success of "Black Hole Sun" (1994) as Exhibit A in the band's paving of their previously potholed Grunge/Metal hybrid. But given a closer listen, some of the band's later material -- "Pretty Noose" and "Let Me Drown," for example -- thuds just as emphatically as their late '80s releases on Sub Pop and SST. Members: Chris Cornell, Matt Cameron, Kim Thayil, Ben Shepherd, Jason Everman, Hiro Yamamoto, Scott Sundquist

Soundgarden Discography