History Music / Soundgarden

* SignatureSong: "Black Hole Sun"

* ''King Animal'' (2012), the bands upcoming new studio album, the first since the bands reformation.

As of January 2010, Cornell has officially announced through his website that "The Knights of the Sound Table ride again". The band officially reunited in 2012. A new song of theirs, "Live to Rise," played during the end credits of ''Film/TheAvengers''.

* ''Down on the Upside'' (1996), their last album. This time Soundgarden opted to self-produce to avoid the tediously slow frustration of ''Superunknown''. It didn't have anywhere near the same impact as their predecessor but was reasonably well-received.

* ''King Animal'' (2012), the bands first all-new studio album since the bands reformation.

Rumours of a possible reunion are circulating after the band appeared together for the first time in years at Pearl Jam's 4-Night Stand performance (this was also the first Temple of the Dog reunion in years when Cornell joined Pearl Jam on-stage to perform "Hunger Strike").

As of January 2010, Cornell has officially announced through his website that "The Knights of the Sound Table ride again" and are reportedly working on a new album.

The band officially reunited in 2012. A new song of theirs, "Live to Rise," played during the end credits of ''Film/TheAvengers''.

* AnimatedMusicVideo: "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K913KVe3kH8 Black Rain]]", animated by [[WesternAnimation/Metalocalypse Titmouse Inc]].

* [[NightmareFuel/MusicVideos Nightmare Fuel]][=/=]SurrealMusicVideo: The [[NotableMusicVideos highly notable]] video to "Black Hole Sun" featuring a StepfordSuburbia filled with {{Stepford Smiler}}s whose faces twist and contort (using VisualCompression) to form [[SlasherSmile Massive Grins]] and gigantic eyes. As you can imagine, this quickly crosses far into UncannyValley. Eventually, as the lyric goes ("till you all just disappear"), the world of the video gets sucked up into a literal Black Hole during a storm.

* SurrealMusicVideo: "Jesus Christ Pose"

Soundgarden is a {{Seattle}} {{Grunge}}[=/=]AlternativeMetal band formed in TheEighties and popular in TheNineties. Their name comes from a sculpture in Seattle, "A Sound Garden". The band was recognized as one of The Big Four of Grunge (along with Music/{{Nirvana}}, Music/PearlJam and Music/AliceInChains), though they didn't become successful until the genre fully took off with the release of Nirvana's ''Nevermind'' and Pearl Jam's ''Ten''. Their 1994 album ''Superunknown'' is considered a masterpiece of the movement.

* MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness: Generally a 4 (Fell On Black Days, Head Down) to 6 (Let Me Drown, My Wave). Black Hole Sun is arguably a (high) 3.

* MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness: Generally a 4 (Fell On Black Days) to 6 (Let Me Drown). Black Hole Sun is arguably a (high) 3.

The group broke up in 1997 due to internal conflict, leaving Cornell to form the {{super group}} Music/{{Audioslave}} with the former members of RageAgainstTheMachine, and later a solo career [[LoveItOrHateIt with polarizing results]]. Cornell also co-wrote ''You Know My Name'' with DavidArnold for the JamesBond film ''CasinoRoyale''. He's also headed in a more pop/hip-hop-oriented direction recently, causing much backlash among the fanbase. Cameron currently drums for Pearl Jam, and has since the Yield tour (he wasn't involved with the Temple of the Dog reunion mentioned below). Thayil played with [[DeadKennedys Jello Biafra]] and [[{{Nirvana}} Krist Novoselic]] as the "No WTO Combo" after the Seattle riots of November 1999, and has contributed to Dave Grohl (ex-Nirvana, current Music/FooFighters)'s side-project Probot.

** The video for "Black Rain" features a kid playing ''GuitarHero'' and an appearance by [[{{Metalocalypse}} Deathklok]].

* ''Live on I-5'' (2011), a collection of live tracks from a 2006 tour, and a few covers.

* UncommonTime: The band claims that most of their examples of this ("Rusty Cage", "Spoonman", etc. etc. etc.) were actually ''accidental'' -- for example, they didn't realize that the verses in "Spoonman" were in 7/4 until they were done writing the song.

* ''Superunknown'' (1994), the band's breakthrough and biggest success, going straight to #1 on the charts. Contains their biggest hits and {{Signature Song}}s "Black Hole Sun" and "Spoonman". Cornell didn't like working with producer Michael Beinhorn because of his obsession with capturing the perfect sounds (commenting that by the time they had recorded a song they'd already rehearsed it to death), but admitted they played a part in the album's success.

* CommonTime: They rarely use it.

* EpicRiff: Many.

* FaceOfTheBand: Cornell, and possibly Matt Cameron.

* MagnumOpus: ''Superunknown''.

* MisattributedSong

* EstrogenBrigadeBait: Cornell, specially in the later years.

+PearlJam (Through both TOTD and Cameron)

* {{Defictionalization}}: PearlJam's bassist Jeff Ament created a made-up set list for the FakeBand in ''{{Singles}}'', and Cornell decided to pen songs to match each title. One of those was "Spoonman" (which even has an early version in the movie).

* ShoutOut: ''Badmotorfinger'' is a reference to {{Montrose}}'s song "Bad Motor Scooter".

!!Music/{{Soundgarden}} provides examples of:

* BadassBeard: Kim Thayil's ZZ Top Beard

*** Taken as a whole, these songs double as a PrecisionFStrike in contrast to the rest of the band's catalog.

-->"If this isn't making SEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNSE, that doesn't make it LIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSS"

* PrecisionFStrike: Right before the solo in "Gun", Cornell says, "Fuck it up!"

!!{{Soundgarden}} provides examples of: