Soundgarden

Overwhelming and ambitious, lyrical and intense, harsh and psychedelic: these are the adjectives that best capture the concentrated dose of music that Soundgarden deliver on their fourth studio effort. Unlike in the past, the band's dark, violent hard rock, while still the foundation, is now softened by a tasteful use of melody, which is what drives its mainstream success, given a considerable boost by the psychedelic power-ballad "Black Hole Sun".

"Let Me Drown" opens dark and cavernous before evolving into an epic, powerful central section thanks to the great drumming and Chris Cornell's spectacular voice; "My Wave" is built on an immediate, relentless riff that only lets up for the strongly "pop"-flavored chorus. The following "Fell On Black Days" blends the traits of the first two tracks, turning out to be their perfect synthesis, while "Mailman" has a "doom" cadence that shakes the whole track, marked by a riff as heavy as it is oppressive, and by a complementary rhythm section. The title track is sharp, aggressive rock'n'roll ready to explode in the engaging chorus and the final solo.

"Head Down" has a doomed atmosphere, from the acoustic intro to the electric progression underpinning Cornell's pained, sickly vocal; the structure rests on this alternation between acoustic and electric guitar, with moments of pure power such as the tense finale, where turbulent drums and bass take center stage: this is the album's first gem.

The dark "Black Hole Sun" has already been mentioned, bringing us to "Spoonman", another hit: a typical hard rock track, with riffs, solos and a chill-inducing rhythm section at its core; it's pointless to keep stressing how much Cornell's ever-compelling voice elevates these songs. "Limo Wreck" is one of the album's high points: music darkened by the drums' monotone beat and the obsessive sound of bass and guitar, with an epic melodic opening that recalls the atmosphere of "Let Me Drown". The bass riff on "The Day I Tried To Live" is simply monolithic and drives the song's sonic theme; after the effects-laden guitar opening, the guitars take over for the rest of the song, growing increasingly saturated, while Cornell soars to vocal heights he's never reached with such intensity. "Kickstand" is a fast punk track that sets up the album's funereal finale.

"Fresh Tendrils" presents the usual impenetrable wall of guitars, offset by a remarkable, distinctly "new wave" bassline. "4th Of July" is another masterpiece: a cavernous, spectral riff accompanies Cornell's "brooding"; what reigns is a negative, oppressive, terribly dramatic atmosphere, with a searingly acidic solo as a fitting complement to a track that truly takes on the shape of a funeral march.

"Half" is a strange, "Eastern"-tinged acoustic piece for bass, viola and cello (!). "Like Suicide" still carries a claustrophobic mood, though in the finale the band picks up the pace and guitarist Kim Thayil unleashes a gorgeous solo, the best on the album. The only flaw is the excessive length (fifteen tracks!), but Soundgarden, having absorbed the lessons of the '70s, rework them and deliver the manifesto album of modern hard rock.

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10/11/2006