Soundgarden are finally moving closer to completing their long awaited final album. In a new interview with Billboard, drummer Matt Cameron revealed the project is now “over halfway done”, and yes, it will feature posthumous vocals from Chris Cornell.
The album will pull together eight songs the band began working on before Cornell’s passing in May 2017. Progress had been stalled for years due to ongoing legal disputes between Soundgarden and Cornell’s widow, Vicky Cornell. With those issues resolved, the band has been able to return to the material with fresh focus, though not without emotional weight.
“Hearing [Cornell’s] voice on these powerful hard rock songs is the most empowering thing in the world for me,” Cameron said. “But when you solo up his voice, it all comes back to the fact that he’s not with us… it’s gut-wrenching but also empowering.”
Cameron added that guitarist Kim Thayil is still fine tuning his parts: “He wants to make sure they get exactly the way he wants them.” While the band considered rolling out singles early, they’ve chosen to wait until the album is fully complete before releasing anything.
The as yet untitled album will be Soundgarden’s first since King Animal in 2012, and the significance isn’t lost on the surviving members. In a 2023 interview with Rolling Stone, Thayil stressed the importance of honouring the material: “It exists as a collaboration with Matt, Ben, and Chris… we want to do it proud.”
There’s no release date yet, but the timing feels poignant. Soundgarden are set to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on November 8, 2025, with the ceremony streaming live on Disney+. Whether the induction sparks more details on the record remains to be seen, but for now, fans at least know one thing, the final Soundgarden album is no longer stuck in limbo.
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