Reviews (page 5 of 15)
My Dad would loveeee this but I also really like it. What I would classify as rock. Heavy raspy voice but not in an annoying way. All the songs kinda blended together I'm not sure they had much differentiating factors but also I'm not sitting down to solely listen so that's prob on me
A powerhouse of the grunge era. Chris Cornell's voice is unmatched
It was fine. Some songs run into each other and some songs are drawn out.
I did't really like this. It just sounds very same same. Generic stadium rock but like soooooo generic.
7/10 Favorite: Black Hole Sun
It’s fine. The music is objectively pretty good, it just doesn’t hold my interest. Grunge isn’t my favorite, and it all kind of sounds the same. This didn’t need to be quite so long
For some reason I didn't think that I would like this album but I was incorrect - it's actually very good. I knew and like "Spoonman", and "Black Hole Sun" but never really paid attention who the band was that performed these songs.
Ah, 1994, l'année où le monde a décidé que porter des chemises en flanelle de bûcheron de Seattle était le comble du chic. Je bossais à la radio à l'époque, et je peux te dire que le programmateur musical avait dû faire un pacte avec le diable — ou avec A&M — parce qu'on a bouffé du "Black Hole Sun" jusqu'à la nausée. Alors, parlons-en de ce fameux "Superunknown" de Soundgarden, le quatrième pavé dans la mare des "quatre grands" du grunge. Le bouquin nous vend ça comme le "summum de leur carrière". Mouais, on sent surtout que Michael Beinhorn, le producteur, a voulu faire les choses en grand : une production épaisse, des tonnes d'overdubs, des effets dans tous les sens. Résultat ? Un truc qui pèse trois tonnes et qui, avec le recul, sent un peu trop la naphtaline des années 90. C'est marrant, le bouquin souligne leur "expérimentation diversifiée". Ils citent même "Half" et ses textures moyen-orientales pour dire qu'ils n'étaient pas comme les autres groupes de l'époque. Franchement, à mes oreilles de l'époque (et d'aujourd'hui), ça sonne surtout comme des types qui ont trop écouté Led Zeppelin en essayant de paraître "arty". Le côté "brooding Sabbath-esque", on l'entend, c'est sûr. Les riffs sont lourds, visqueux ("sludgy" comme ils disent), mais est-ce que ça transporte vraiment ? Le vrai problème, c'est la durée. 73 minutes. Putain c'est interminable, même l'éditeur du livre admet qu'un petit coup de ciseau n'aurait pas fait de mal. On sent que c'est un album fait pour les CD, cette époque maudite où les groupes se sentaient obligés de remplir chaque mégaoctet disponible sur la galette argentée. On nous ressort évidemment le tube "Black Hole Sun" et "Spoonman", les deux vaches à lait qui leur ont rapporté des Grammys et des chiffres de vente monstrueux. Je sauve le tube, parce qu'il faut admettre qu'en 1994, ce refrain avait un truc. C'était l'hymne des mécontents, la bande-son du désespoir d'une génération. Mais pour le reste ? "Fell On Black Days", "The Day I Tried To Live"... ça s'écoute, mais ça a quand même pris un sacré coup de vieux. Chris Cornell avait une voix incroyable, personne ne dira le contraire. Ses paroles bizarres, sa livraison impeccable... c'est ce qui tenait la baraque. Mais quand je compare ça à ce que j'écoutais vraiment en 94 — les trucs plus sombres, plus viscéraux — Soundgarden me paraissait déjà un peu trop "Rock FM déguisé". Bref, c'est un disque charnière, c'est le moment où le grunge est devenu une formule, un produit bien emballé par Michael Beinhorn. Pour moi, c'est un 2 sur 5, et encore, c'est parce que je suis de bonne humeur et que le tube me rappelle mes années radio. Soundgarden, c'était bien pour l'époque, mais aujourd'hui, ça ressemble à une vieille relique qu'on a peur de dépoussiérer de peur qu'elle ne tombe en miettes.
Det var bra, men ikke mitt favorittalbum. Sangene var veldig enten eller.
A few classics but a bit bloated for my taste
3.5/5 não é um album mau mas tb não é daqueles que ouviria muitas vezes. as músicas são bons e as letras são interessantes mas algumas não precisavam de ser longas como são.
Loved this one in my youth, kinda fell off it for a while but now we're so back babyyyy. The oppressive sludgyness of this needs to be studied. Chris Cornell is always a treat to listen to. Lost me a bit after The Day I Tried To Live but it take away from the great moments earlier
i dont think i like grunge
unenjoyable :(
Liked it. Think I need to revisit grunge.
Really enjoyed this record, a lot of interesting stuff going on musically, odd meter and chord progressions, great songwriting, some heavy stuff. Gotta dig into Soundgarden more.
I'm only halfway through and LOVE ALL OF IT! So much going on and fun to listen to!
ES UN DIS CA ZO, realmente no hay nada que decir. Tiene una musicalidad que hace super disfrutables las canciones más allá de la distorsión y el ruido
me gusto demasiado. la voz del cantante es -cheff kiss- tremenda banda, voy a escuchar mas de ellos. me parecio un poquito largo el album, pero muy bueno
Honestly, I didn't expect to like this too much but I genuinely enjoyed a handful of songs. Black Hole Sun is a certified classic but The Day I Tried To live took me by surprise by how melodic it was. Overall, this album I heavy but it is tinged with sound and the lyrics range with interesting themes about one's relationship to others, oneself, and loved ones.
Junto com Dirt do Alice in Chains, esse é o ápice do grunge! Chris tem a voz de um anjo com as asas sujas de petróleo! Várias músicas icônicas, mas 4th of July é, sem dúvida alguma, o ponto alto do álbum.
1: Fell On Black Days 2: Blackhole Sun 3: Mailman
Classic
A few songs had cool riffs, effects, or time signatures. I wish I liked it more. I'd seek them out before Foo Fighters, but I don't think I'll make this album a regular listen.
My least favorite flavor of 90s rock
I liked Black Hole Sun back when this came out and knew a couple of the other songs too but never listened to this or any Soundgarden album in full. Fell On Black Days and My Wave were great but several of the songs pushed up towards the five minute mark and outstayed their welcome. I'll give it a low 4 because it's a good alternative rock record and some days that's enough.
I'd never have thought of putting on a whole album of Soundgarden (less attractive than Nirvana or RATM). Unappealing opening (first 2 tracks too slow and repetitive for my taste) but it got better. Tracks 7-9 (Black Hole Sun, Spoonman, Limo Wreck) make an exciting three-in-a-row. By the end of the album, I was impressed with strength/range of lead vocals (carried the words well) and variety of playing styles, as well as sheer grunge and grunt. But still very same-y. It's on the high side of 'Okay': 6/10. Favourite track: Limo Wreck.
Looking at the titles alone, there were clear signs that Chris Cornell was looking for help.
One of my favourites. Have been a fan since it was released. Arguably the best album they ever made. A huge progression from Badmotorfinger and one of the best rock albums of the decade. It’s so powerful and reveals something new with every listen. Best: My Wave Worst: (no bad songs)
Only good songs are the their three most popular ones. Generally I don't like their sound, they are too boring :p
I like grunge, but how this lot became as big as they did (say compared to The Screaming Trees) is a mystery on the basis of this album.
Most albums could be cut to 25 minutes. This is a great example. Would be a ripper. Also, why do so many bands have to add a 7 minute last track like they're trying to do their own version of Desolation Row
This gets 4 stars due to the first half of the record. I could do without the lower tempo tracks, but the psychedelic aspects to this grunge record help it stand out above the rest. I'm also typically not a big fan of "showy" vocals, but Chris Cornell hard to deny on his performances here. "Black Hole Sun" itself is massively overrated and exists alongside other 90s singles that were/are popular but straggle behind the other songs on the album (see also: Nirvana's "Heart Shaped Box" and Smashing Pumpkins' "Disarm").
Initially was not looking forward to listening to this album. Not because I have anything against Soundgarden, but because, like many millennials, I listened to 90s grunge/alt so much in my teens and twenties that I kinda got sick of it. By the time "My Wave" finished I was back in it. Didn't realize how many hits came from this album. 7/10
A little piece of H. Land trivia: Black Hole Sun is my least favorite song, beating out Cotton Eyes Joe because it’s a full two minutes longer. When I saw the run time of this album, I slumped. But I made it through, and even turned it up real loud. There were about 2 minutes of this that I really liked, on My Wave and I think Head Down. Ranking this album is hard, because I’m just not into the sonic palette of grunge. Ultimately, it gets a two, because it’s definitely not worse than Aftermath, but I wouldn’t listen to either again.
You can get away with a long album when it’s this solid and shows this much technical skill.
Classic grunge all the way through. It's hard to deny the sheer power of the sound, from the vocals, to the screaming guitars to the drums. Not my favorite album from that era, but definitely solid. Doesn't have enough songs that really stand out from one another, but nonetheless a great album. 3/5 from me.
Algunas buenas canciones. Black Hole sun God.
Seems like a thick solid grunge record. Cornels vocals are awesome. I know them best from audioslave personally, but here they sound more natural and raw and integrated with the band. Some of the guitar sounds great - I think I like the guy's playing, but some places it suffers from that generic grunge tone in a way that makes it sound kind of grating for me.
I didn’t like it but glad I listened to it. Standout: Black Hole Sun
Longest album so far. I was waiting to see this album, always a great listen.
Realistically, this is a 4 star album. I'm giving it 5 because it's Chris Cornell's only album here and he is a beast.
I had pretty high hopes for this album. I already knew Black Hole Sun and Spoonman. I like both of those, but really the rest of the songs were just ok. Mailman might have become one of my least favorite songs on the generator so far. Still a fine album, but I wasn't impressed.
whole album is incredible damn near every song a 5
Goated
There were a few songs I already knew from the radio, and those tracks are pretty solid. Overall though, the album didn’t really impress me as much as I expected. Some of the songs feel heavy and drawn out, and not all of them held my interest. That said, Chris Cornell is one hell of a singer. His voice is powerful and easily the standout part of the album. Even when the songs didn’t click for me, his vocals were hard to ignore.
I thought I liked Soundgarden, but this shows I REALLY like soundgarden. I knew all of the radio singles, but this album flowed really well from front to back. And there's a reason that Chris Cornell is recognized as one of the best vocalists of all time. This album right here.
Run of the mill, slightly dirgey rock. It fluctuates between decent and a bit under that. I’ve liked Black Hole Sun as a song for some time and I’ve heard a few others on the album but clearly I’ve been listening to the high water marks. I don’t think the more whimsical songs really work (Spoonman), they just sound a bit off. But the instrumental stuff is well put together.
I quite like this but not sure what its USP is. Its not particularly special in any regard. Some of the songs historically get served up to me as part of my streaming algorithm so not unfamilar with them. When I was younger I enjoyed Rage against the machine and when audioslaves first album came out got that so you could say I am some way in "this" club. This is where it gets subjective I guess. I love Rage and enjoyed Audioslave (probably marginally better than Soundgarden). OK its not as pop rock as say Nickleback or extremely mainstream examples but its not got the raw edge of Rage either. I will happily listen to some of their songs and enjoy the sound but doubt I will want to listen to the whole album.
On the face of it this is a good album. It has a lot of the basic elements that I enjoy, but somehow it never quite elevates beyond "quite good". The music is all structurally fine but it seems to lack a spark. There is a particular type of Americanised operatic rock singing that I find really grating and this album has it all the way through. Also, this album is too long considering it's lack of artistic depth. A totally acceptable, but instantly forgettable rock album.
Is it too long? Not if you don’t want it to stop.
Ugh, this annoys me so much - I listened to it in its heyday because of a boy.
rock solid.
I was really excited for this one ! Soundgarden are a staple of the grunge genre, and Chris Cornell is incredible. Fav song is ‘Black Hole Sun’.
Again, this is super embarrassing to admit as a ten-year resident of Washington (four years in the Seattle area), but I wasn’t really familiar with Soundgarden until super recently. I definitely thought “Black Hole Sun” was a Nirvana song prior to this year – WA state police probably ought to revoke my license for that mix-up. However, my wife and I did watch the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony just a couple of weekends ago and Soundgarden was one of the artists that were honored. Their induction included a performance from the band (featuring Taylor Momsen on “Rusty Cage” and Brandi Carlile on “Black Hole Sun”), a tribute from Toni Cornell and an oddly heartfelt speech from Jim Carrey. Founding bassist Hiro Yamamoto also spoke out about the mistreatment of immigrants in the United States (something that has been weighing on my heart heavily these past few months). It was all very touching and came together as probably my favorite part of the entire ceremony, in spite of my unfamiliarity with the band. All that said, I was quite excited to finally give Superunknown a listen – I really hoped it would be a favorite among favorites, especially since this challenge has exposed me to so much great grunge already! While I did come away from the album with a greater appreciation of Chris Cornell’s voice and the abilities of the band as a whole, I can’t say in good faith that Superunknown is going into regular rotation for me. The main thing holding this one back for me is that it’s just too long – they could have chopped out at least 20 minutes of material (basically everything between “Spoonman” and “Like Suicide”) and the album wouldn’t have really lost anything. There are some amazing cuts in the front half, but that doesn’t save the back half from being so utterly boring. If you’re not looking to spend 70 minutes of your life running through the full album, just check out all the tracks that have music videos – they’re easily the biggest standouts from Superunknown (I reckon “My Wave” was my overall favorite)! “Like Suicide” is a great ending to the album as well, but probably not a must-listen if you’re just looking for a sampler. I might have to check out Badmotorfinger just for kicks (seeing as it’s not on the 1001 Albums list). If that ends up being a banger album, I’ll report back here in a future edit! Highlights: My Wave, Fell on Black Days, Superunknown, Black Hole Sun, Spoonman, Like Suicide
This is a fantastic album that rewards a listener with a good set of headphones. Muti-layered with interesting sounds. There's lots to admire here, both musically and lyrically. The lyrics for Fell on Black Days are poetry. Spoonman is great fun and has an interesting time signature. There are many great songs, like Fresh Tendrils and the title track, that were never released as singles too.
Too long by half. Cannot stand the front man's voice. Starts off hot but never really changes or evolves, creating a similar sound throughout.
It's good. Somewhat average. Though Black Hole Sun is gonna be stuck in my head for days. 3/5
Prima album voor een keertje, maar niet iets wat ik nog snel een keer zou opzetten, met uitzondering van de banger 'Black Hole Sun'.
Beurk
veri kewl
Not for me
Did not expect to struggle through this one but I did
Not for me. Too harsh. Didn’t get much from the lyrics. Seems important in the evolution of music, but I didn’t enjoy listening.
Opening track had me interested from the get go, however became quite bored of it after about 3 tracks. Not bad but not that exciting.
Динамичное и интересное звучание , приятный голос
so amazing. i love the vibe, the vocals, etc. every song just gets better and better.
I personally just find grunge to be very uninteresting. If I liked the genre, I’d probably like this album, but I don’t.
Black Hole Sun is definitely on my top 10 all time songs.
Its not my thing, but it seems fairly high level of what it is. Good. But I definitely think if it didnt exist, we wouldn't have nickelback, and im sure that weighed on the every single day. Because of this i had to hear Rockstar
Love 90s alternative rock/grunge, love the doom metal energy, love Chris Cornell and the slick time signatures on this. But… that’s all I’ve got. I expected to love this instead I can just barely differentiate it, a shame. The length is diabolical too.
This will be the first highly ranked album that I didn’t like. It’s good and the band is talented it’s just not my style. I do however understand the appeal and could see how someone would rank it 4 or even 5 stars if this sound was their thing.
For being on the harder side I actually found this a charming album. Faves are Black Hole Sun, The Day I Tried To Live.
Idk I don't have much on this. Nothing really hit for me. I can see how it's actually good because the vocals are insane, but it just wasn't for me.
I did think at first it would sound "ominous/dark" because of the album cover. But compared to Nirvana, this is more Led Zeppelin-hard rock. The album doesn't really stray from the heavy guitar-drum sound, so for me it gets repetitive after Black Hole Sun.
Extraño tanto a Chris Cornell. Superunknown fue el primer disco que compré con mi propio dinero, entonces tiene un lugar muy especial en mi memoria. La voz de Chris tiene que aparecer junto a Mercury, Plant, Delp, Perry y otras habituales dentro de las listas de los mejores vocalistas. Matt Cameron y Ben Shepherd forman una sección rítmica brillante. Kim Thayil no falla con su guitarra. Pasa de lo heavy a lo psicodélico, al metal y hasta diría un poco punk con una facilidad tremenda. Sin olvidar sus riffs y solos, claro. Y luego tenemos a Chris Cornell. No sólo poseía una voz insuperable, sino también sabía componer canciones memorables. El álbum es algo largo y por lo mismo no todas las canciones son fantásticas, pero tiene 'Black Hole Sun', 'Spoonman', 'Fell on Black Days', 'Let Me Drown' y 'Like Suicide', las cuales bastan para un 5.
Lots of classics on here, but nothing that felt like a hidden gem
Ha dato soundtrack di un qualsiasi teen drama di inizio 2000
Growing up on grunge and alt rock in the 90’s, I was very familiar with the hit songs on this album, but somehow this is the first time I’ve listened to the whole thing. I was impressed with just about every track and feel this is probably one of the best albums in the genre and has aged very well. Cornell was one of the greatest rock vocalists of his era, if not all time. My only complaints are that some of the tracks are a bit longer than they need to be…and the album as a whole could have been cut down just a bit. Overall it was a great listen.
It's good I guess. I don't think I have the capacity to enjoy more grunge. His voice sounds trained so it's not really grass roots more manufactured
very good album, tad long, but some really great grunge
Was surprised to know some of the songs on this album. Very much the sort of music I listened to when I was younger, not sure if I would listen again, but I had a nice time listening now. I really liked his voice and felt there was a nice variation across the album. Fave song: Black Hole Sun Least fav: Mailman
Black hole sun is fantastic and the rest of the songs are decent too. 1hr 10 min is too long for an album to be though. Specific rating - 4.2 Fav song - black hole sun Least fav- 4th of July
Little too angsty and a little too long for me. I really enjoy his vocals. Not really a grunge girl but there were quite a few songs on this album that I really enjoyed (although possibly they were the less grungey of the songs). Is definitely the kind of music I could imagine I would have really loved at my angstiest, but I'm probably ten years too late now. Favourite song: Black Hole Sun (or The Day I Tried to Live) Least: Half
New years resolution - avoid grunge
Quality. Long time since listening to it too
Love it, haven't heard this album in it's entirety before I don't think but not really a duff track on it. Huge, but not too over the top sound, real energy. Absolute class drumming on the track Like Suicide- Matt Cameron really worked some sweat on that one....wow! Its a keeper for me.
This album contains the best spoon solo I've ever heard. Really enjoyed this. Even though it's a bit too long. Chris Cornell's voice is one of the best in rock music, so emotive and rough and yet so beautiful. I also enjoy a bit of audio slave, so this was a Great listen.
This is,a,definite 5 star album. Every song is great except one.
Feels like a 3.5 - lots of songs I really enjoyed, but the album was too long and a bit same-y towards the end. Would listen to some tracks again, but probably not the whole album
such a post nirvana slog. bleh
Good album, love Chris's voice
Chris Cornell is easily a top 5 rock vocalist of the last 35 years and this is one of the best albums of the decade. All the different time signatures really keep it interesting and it's killer track after killer track. Super badass.
Fire. Has Black Hole Sun on it.
1/15 bekannt 6/10 Beste Songs: black hole sun, my wave, 4th of july
Normal.
I liked this overall, a few standout tracks for me but probably not an album I would listen to again in full
4/10 - wanted to give this album a chance but really just not the type of music I enjoy
Very energetic and fun, I liked it. Again, songs are kinda the same. I didn't catch any text but the voice suits the songs well. I think I liked "Limo Wreck" the most. "Half" is very pretty and "Spoonman" is catchy. Would listen again probably.
This is just simply one of the great albums of all times and just highlights how underrated Soungarden were as a band. Let me drown and new wave are in your face rock, but even they cannot prepare you for the brooding beauty that is Fell on black days. This album manages to encapsulate grunge and the best elements of classic rock without ever sounding like cliched. As great and intense as Chris Cornell’s vocals and lyrics are, they are matched perfectly by the rest of the band. The video for Black hole sun is so iconic, it is difficult to hear the track without picturing it in my mind. That should not however suggest the song is anything other than great. However BHS is neither my favourite song or video from this album as both of those belong to the Day I tried to live, which is is quite frankly perfect. Spoonman manages to both be quite close to the original incarnation from the Singles soundtrack and fresh sounding.
This was quite enjoyable. I already knew that I liked “Fell On Black Days” and “Black Hole Sun”, but also particularly enjoyed “Mailman” and “4th of July”. The other tracks were also completely fine to listen to, albeit a bit more forgettable. If I could go 3.5*, I would - but I didn’t enjoy it as much as a 4* album.
Yesterday I said I needed interesting lyrics and a great vocalist for repeat listens and today the generator was a kind and benevolent god, providing me one of the greatest vocalists of my lifetime. Chris Cornell made singing sound effortless. His voice was perfect - emotive, amazing range and one of the best rock "screamy" vocals ever. I never got into grunge despite being about the right age during it's heyday, but Black Hole Sun was such an important song to me as a kid. When we got MTV I remember becoming obsessed with the music video, which was so trippy. Despite that (and liking Spoonman, which I really don't think I appreciated enough in my early teens), I never bought an album and really haven't ever subsequently sat down to listen to any Soundgarden album, just heard bits and bobs over the years. I was so excited to finally listen to this album from start to end. This is really, really great for the most part. The vocals yes, just perfect, but the instrumentals too. The guitar in tracks like Superunknown is just so, so catchy. Away from the most famous songs, I really loved Mailman. For my personal tastes it's a little too long, as I definitely prefer sub-60 minute albums (preferably 45ish minutes), but it's definitely accomplished. It's sort of annoying I have first listened to all of Superunknown in my mid 40s. Even with my quibble over the length, giving this less than a 5 seems massively unfair due to the overall quality and the fact Chris Cornell's voice makes my stomach do flips, so: 5/5
Not my thing but couple of song were great. 3.3
This was a flashback for me, as I owned this album. Hearing Chris Cornell belting and wailing over uneven rhythms and guitar brought back old feelings of disaffectedness and disillusion post-college. I still found myself singing along to Black Hole Sun, Fell on Black Days and Spoonman, but I imagine I played those on repeat back then, because some tracks were just hard to appreciate, like 4th of July.
This just kept getting better as it went on. What an incredible voice
I can't see the cover of this album and not hear Blackhole Sun. Such an iconic music video. His singing style is a bit whiny. I am saddened to find out he succumbed to his battle with depression. I didn't realize Spoonman was by Soundgarden.
really fun heavy album
Loved it then - love it even more now ❤️
zupelnie jie moje klimaty nie wysluchalam do konca
CRIS Cornell pura vida .
Some of the best grunge of all time, slightly bloated track list, great blend of different genres and sounds
Killer vocals, great riffs, overall fantastic album that encapsulates the grunge era perfectly. RIP Chris Cornell
Christmas
I liked it buuuut I didn't feel it you know? I mean the songs were good but I didn't connect to them. Overall I liked the album, Chris Cornell's voice is sooo good
7/15 songs added Obviously we have the classic in there (black hole sun)which is just fire fire fire but I feel like I've heard it so much that it just doesn't hit the same as it used to,so i added it to the playlist but it might not have a guaranteed place to stay.(I didn't have it on the playlist so it probably got deleted before) A song that I really enjoyed was fell on black days,chill start,cool beat just amazing and i also think Its a little bit different from the rest of the album. gonna rate it 3/5 stars as I wouldn't listen to the whole album and the grunge type of music is also not always my vibe.
Just another one of them rocky rock mc rock too much for me I only want the rock with the female #femminsim
my opinion is in the middle some of the songs are too much for me and sound abit the same i like the ones that are abit different 5/16 ( black hole sun, fell on black days , head down, the day i tired to live , 4th of july)
Bassen sier brom, Cornell sier YEEEeeeaaaaAAHhhh. Det enkelt å plukke fra hverandre elementene til formelen som utgjør Superunknown, men det skal en spesiell kjemi til for å få det til å funke. Det er good shit her, men det er også låter som godt kunne forblitt superukjente for omverden -- ikke fordi de er direkte dårlige, men fordi man allerede har hørt bedre låter som høres nesten like ut. I løpet av sine 70 minutter, rekker trikset å bli gammelt, og det er egentlig bare når de aktiverer stoner-modus på 4th of July at det kommer et høydepunkt etter Spoonman. Siste sporet, Like Suicide, skifter også litt opp i tempoet med tribal-trommene grunge/alt. metal kollegaene Tool gjorde til sitt varemerke på to år senere, og det er i hvert fall litt spennende. Tool gjorde det bedre, da. Tool gjorde også "grunge" bedre ett år tidligere, men det er en annen sak.
I hodet mitt har dette albumet vært en skikkelig klassiker, men nå låter til og med "Black Hole Sun" og "Spoonman" blekere enn jeg husket. Det virker som jeg har utviklet en allergi mot grunge gjennom dette prosjektet. Selv om jeg tenkte at Superunknown egentlig skilte seg ganske mye ut ved å være mer psykedelisk. Slik som på nevnte "Black Hole Sun". Plata er ikke helt krise, liker mye av soundet. På "Limo Wreck" tenderer det mot stonerrock, som jeg syns funker godt. Vokalen funker ikke så godt for meg lenger, dessverre. Og siden det er et CD era-album er det selvfølgelig altfor langt. Etter litt over en time så sitter jeg igjen med et inntrykk av et helt ok rockealbum som fungerer bedre i bakgrunnen enn til aktiv lytting.
Solid album, not exactly my choice but I would listen to this if I was an angsty white boy. Black hole sun kinda iconic though and I gotta give credit where credit is due.
Wasn't for me back in the day and isn't for me now.
Not my genre :,(
A grunge classic. A little over-long though
Rocking listen. I did not recognize or remember any songs other than Black Hole Sun. Nice, crisp, big rock production
Okay, it turns out I might like grunge more than I thought - this was excellent! That being said, I don't know if I'll be written off for this but i definitely think Black Hole Sun is one of the weaker songs here - I can see it as the vaguely accessible single to draw people in, but it's when three band goes full rock that it all works best. Spoonman and the title track are absolute bangers, and I'm definitely coming back to this album later :)
Still an amazing album
Cornell’s voice combined with the sludge of the rhythm section and the technicality of the guitars put this album on another level. Perfect album, and a great intro to anyone looking to get into grunge
Grunge'i ajastu üks esikalbumeid. Plaadil on ka suuri hitte, mis on mainstreami läinud, aga ülejäänud kraami kannatab ka kuulata (ainult vahepeal vajub tähelepanu ära). Chris Cornelli vokaal ja kõik need Drop-D käigud (vahepeal isegi Drop-C käigud, mis meenutavad Hadese muusikat) on legendaarsed ja väärivad oma kohta siin nimekirjas. 4.2/5
I listened to this album many times when it first came out, but it's been awhile. Of course, I hear the songs that were big hits still from time to time. But listening to the album front to back again today reminded me of how good it is. It really shows off the diversity of Soundgarden, and that they could do things outside of their "typical" sound and still be so good. Definitely one of my top albums from that time period and still stands up today.
This album walked so Nickleback could also walk
I need to give this a listen when I am in a different frame of mind. I'm just not in the space for this right now. The album is not bad, the timing of this suggestion is. LOL
3.5 leaning toward 4 At first I didn't think I would know any of their songs, but Black Hole Sun is a serious banger. There were also a couple other songs I listened to more than once! Overall, nice grungy vibes 🖤
chris you’re missed. the vocals and the instrumental? are we for real? overall: 4.5/5 favourite tracks: mailman, black hole sun, limo wreck, the day i tried to live, 4th of july least favourite tracks: head down, kickstand, half
Yksi kaikkien aikojen levyistä. 7/5.
Hmm some good moments and time sig changes but overly long and plodding for me. 2.5/5
Lwk I’d listen to a few songs again
Musste abbrechen
heavier rock with a clean, sophisticated tone, really neat! top fav: my wave!!! some really cool meter and instrumental choices. definitely can tell with this album how this band evolved and matured their sound.
Känns som jag är med i en romcom och vi följer det dystra emot
Inte riktigt min genre egentligen men fattar charmen med det
Overall great rough sound, perfect for dealing with the Monday vibes. Tends to overstay its welcome, though.
There was a time I'd listen to this almost every day. So what spoke to me? Chris Cornell is a great vocalist, capturing in his lyrics not just teenage angst but the essence of what it means to live with depressive thoughts, apathy, loneliness, anger and sublimates it to a major dose of kickass. Musically the songs are layered, complex and filled with delightful quirks. From the non standard tunings om my wave, like suicide and the day I tried to live to the effects. Black hole sun is that one song the guitarists want a leslie speaker for. All the instruments on it are also tuned to a slightly higher pitch than standard so as to sound eerie. Spoonman has a goddamn spoon solo on it. Soundgarden always had prog influences but without losing itself in it. But it's not quite metal either (the grammy's disagreed on that). It makes for a varied record, a rollercoaster ride of loud. Go give badmotorfinger and down on the upside a listen too if you haven't yet. They are not on this list, which in my mind is a damn shame.
Es un album oscuro para disfrutar. Me gusta su sonido fuerte y reflexivo. Entre mis canciones favoritas estan Fell on Black Days,Superunknown y obvieamente Black hole sun.
190/1001 :: Soundgarden - Superunknown Heard before? ✅ Would I revisit? ✅ Rating: 10 Listen before you die: Yes Frankly it’s hard to imagine my life without this album. Being a teenager in the 90s has shaped a lot of who I am. And with it, I’ve come to put that decade (and specifically grunge) on a pedestal as far as music goes. And for me this album has always sat at the top of it all. I could argue other albums are maybe just as good but this is a masterpiece. I remember buying it the day it came out and was just blown away by the growth from Badmotor. But there’s something about taking the foot off the gas just a touch to get to something just as heavy but also deeper. To deliver on a pop rock masterpiece like Black Hole Sun and the drudge of 4th of July and have them beautifully hang together. And while singles like Day I Tried To Live, Fells on Black Days etc were great…I love the deeper cuts like Limo Wreck and Mailman. Mailman has slowly become a Top 5 Soundgarden song for me. I saw some people trashing this album in the reviews. If you can’t love this album, I genuinely feel bad for you. Frankly you’ve missed the plot.
Not really my style and would need to be in the mood but still great album!
I was hoping to like this more than I thought I would but unfortunately not
Yks kovimmista levyistä koskaan
Ysärillä tää oli aika kovassa kuuntelussa, ja edelleenkin monta biisiä on omalla soittolistalla, helppo vitska.
Ihanaa!
Taas varmaan oikeiden ihmisten mielestä väärä mielipide, mutta omissa papereissani Chris Cornellin hommista paras ihan ylivoimaisesti oli Audioslave. En tiedä luetellaanko tämä grungeksi vai miksi, mutta itselleni joka tapauksessa ehkä inasen liian tummissa vesissä kahlataan soitannon osalta. Lauluhan on ihan tip top, siitä ei varmasti kukaan voi sanoa mitään. Pari entuudestaan tuttua biisiä (Lusikkamies ja Musta aukko aurinko) tältä levyltä löytyi. Koska en ole kauheasti niitäkään kuunnellut, niin kusi ei ole päässyt polttamaan niitäkään. Kyllä tää kokonaisuudessaan posin puolelle jäi, vaikka alkuodotukset olivat aika matalalla, Chris Cornell vaan kuulostaa niin saatanan hyvältä. Ei tää nyt nelosta silti saa, mutta vahva kolmonen ja ehkä tähän tulee joskus vielä palattua?
Unfortunately being released in the 90's means this album is a bit too long for it's own good. But god was Chris Cornell an incredible singer and songwriter. A tragic loss. 4 Stars, will be coming back to.
- Ao invés de se basearem no art e noise rock como as outras bandas de grunge, se aproximam muito do metal (doom/djent/thrash). Eu acho interessante que o primeiro selo deles era um selo de hardcore (SST). - Sonicamente a produção se afasta do grunge que tem vazamento e bastante reverb, mas não é pesado como o metal. Parece mais pop, com batidas fortes e secas. O vocal tem uma qualidade meio de blues e R&B.
Some nice hard rock sonic songs on thus one.
Dad rock, thought Black Hole Sun and Supermassive Black Hole were siblings, but they’re more like cousins.
only one unique song, everything else sounded the same
solide 44444444 FOUR le mec otp jhin
du bon rock alternatif ça fait plaise
Pour ce bon vieux Chris ça sera un 5, la voix de fou qu'il avait
Songs 10/15 Very good album. Has some of soundgardens top hits with black hole sun and spoonman. One of the top hard rock/grunge albums of all time
This album is better than " A Northern Soul", yesterday's album. It reminds me of early Pearl Jam, especially their album "Ten". There are quite a few good songs on "Superunknown". "4th of July" is on the same level as "Black Hole Sun", Soundgarden's most popular song. One day, I might come to adore this album. 3 stars for "Superunknown".
Solid, riff heavy rock and roll. Probably more like a 3.5 but not really my thing. I appreciate it though. I don’t think I’ve ever actually listened to it all the way through although certainly familiar with it from being adjacent to some of the music I loved in 1995 or whatever. The coda to super unknown is fun and the little marching band into Beatles melody of head down. Black hole sun is a winner thirty years later. It is just its own distinctive vibe (file under: Chris Isaak wicked game).
Every song outside of the 2 hits sounded the same and found myself looking forward to the songs ending.
I don't think Grunge/Heavy Metal are for me. Everything sound kind of similar. The songs are soo long and it does not provoke any emotional response for me. I don't like the singers voice. I just don't like that kind of music.
It's okay I guess. Good rocking but it starts sounding samey to me after a handful of songs. I know the hits from this one and they're good tunes. I just don't see myself coming back to this one.
Refried Led Zeppelin with nothing new to offer. The whole album is unremittingly monochrome; even the one spot of color ("Black Hole Sun") gets swallowed up by the gray goo after about 60 seconds.
absolutely awesome nye pick. listened to while i cleaned my room. heard a lot of the songs before, but always fun to listen to an album in its entirety.
Great Album
Listened while travelling so couldn’t do usual review. Pretty perfect 90s rock album, absolutely enthralled by the vocals, lyrics, instrumentals and as a whole the general vibe of the album. The hits really hit such as spoonman and black hole but even the lesser known songs like let me drown are pretty flawless. 9/10
This had a lot more music/acoustics than I expected!!
Superunknown - Soundgarden Well… it’s just white! That’s all. Great vocals though.
Ngl quite cathartic listening to this on my period
The album was alright, the first half of songs all sounded the same, black hole sun was the tipping point, then the second half all sounded the same as well
I really loved this album. I am a long-time fan of Soundgarden. Many of the tracks were familiar, but some were new to me. I liked the different moods of the songs - some hard, some sad, some just chill. Iconic songs for my generation! 5 stars.
Sorry gang I didn't listen in full and idk how to escape it it's not forcing me to rate
I thought it was full of talented musicians. Tempo was changed and lots of timing which was impressive. Very metallic and grunge. Black hole suns a banger.
This album feels like a perfect depiction of David Bowie‘s classic sound with range from more poetic rock to the ending where it was mostly instrumental session. If somebody were to ask what David Bowie’s music was like this would be the album. I would probably show them first.
Fine 3/5
If I could give this negative stars I would
Classic Soundgarden...
Not really my thing but I can appreciate the craftsmaship that went into it. There are some songs that I enjoyed but if I am really gonna appreciate this album I'll have to listen to it a few more times.
5 stars just for including blackholesun
I’m just not a very big rock girly. The album would’ve been amazing if I was into that sort of thing. The songs all sounded the same to me, but they were good songs. I could see myself turning this album on to impress someone else with really good music taste.
Klassisk 90s grunge.
Have loved this album for over 30 years now
Niby spoko ale chyba jednak to nie jest mój ulubiony typ muzyki. Ale kurde, mega ciekawy album i zespół, o którym wcześniej nie słyszałam. Album idealny do filmów/książek akcji. Także ciekawe ale dla mnie jedynie w określonych warunkach :) mimo wszystko - pozytywne odkrycie.
Nice
Kinda boring Some songs are good but overall overrated 6/10 2025/12/26
Has all the 90s grunge cliches with Metal cliches thrown in. Huge if you like that sort of thing and seemingly designed for disaffected young men.
Great grunge/alt rock album.
I went into this album wanting to like it, as I've always found Chris Cornell (RIP) a very talented singer and while I'm not that familiar with Soundgarden's albums, I've liked everything I've heard from them so far. Initially, I must say I didn't like it as much as I hoped. While lyrically the album is very strong, my first impression of the music on some of the tracks was a bit underwhelming. However, as I kept listening to this, the more I began to enjoy it, and by the time I finished the album I actually really liked the songs on it. I'm willing to guess that this album will grow on me a lot if I give it some time. 3.75/5
On a first time listen, it struck me how much of this album diffused into future rock albums from different bands; this may be why this album is catching accusations of sounding generic. One example of this is the harmonized vocals on "Head Down" sounding very similar to what System of a Down was doing on their Hypnotize/Mezmerize album. (Also, did anyone else notice how the melody of "Black Hole Sun" sounds REALLY similar to "Wicked Little Town" from Hedwig? I'd always thought that musical was purely inspired by Bowie but clearly there is Soundgarden influence as well!) They're also doing interesting things with time signatures in these songs, which could go unnoticed since it's more subdued that the flamboyant time signature switch-ups of bands like Tool or SOAD. Impressive vocal range from Chris Cornell. I love the falsetto on "She Likes Surprises" right before the breakdown. Great guitar riffs throughout. I love the creepy descending riff on "The Day I Tried to Live". "Spoonman" is the song I'd heard before and I still like it just as much. It hits a happy medium of being heavy and interestingly structured while still being a perfect candidate for radio play. I do feel like the album is too long and a bit exhausting for a single session. I started running out of energy at "Kickstand", and the back half of the album started to feel lethargic (other than "Half" coming out of left-field with its Bollywood sound). Breaking the album up into multiple sessions would probably allow you to appreciate the later songs more.
sounds like just ANY straight white male could do it but it's ok just nothing in particular stands out
Excellent
When I saw Superunknown come up today, I thought it might be my first five on here. I love most of the singles on this album (I would have said all, until learned My Wave was a single). Chris Cornell and Matt Cameron deliver standout performances throughout. Unfortunately, I found the songs to be a little hit or miss. Nothing was terrible but I found myself getting bored several times. Given there are several grunge albums on this list that I think might be "no skips" for me, I don't think I can hand out the five to this one. Very strong 4.
Soundgarden was always kind of the odd man out from the "Big 4" of Grunge, drawing inspiration from the other three into an amalgamation of what's supposed to be the "best parts" of Grunge. I'll be honest, I'm not sure if I buy it. Sure, I can listen to Black Hole Sun and think "wow, Grunge really DID peak here", but the rest of the album is far less convincing for me. I could never really get into Superunknown, at least not nearly as much as the other three's albums. Dirt feels so much more destructive, Ten is accessible and has killer singles, and Nevermind needs no explanation. So what role does Superunknown play? It's certainly experimental in its presentation, with many tracks that stretch the definition of the genre. That combined with a few great singles should be enough to make this a classic, right? I'm not going to pretend like this isn't a classic and that everyone who thinks so is wrong, as I don't love Grunge as a whole nearly as much as I like its main bands. I will say though that apart from Black Hole Sun there is almost nothing that attaches me to this album. It feels flat, most Grunge does, but some bands know how to make that flatness work. I think Soundgarden is trying too hard to make the genre sound "not flat", and in doing so sacrifices the simplicity that defined the era. I don't think it's a coincidence that the songs most people praise from this record are arguably the least complex. I'm rambling. I have a lot of respect for Chris Cornell as a vocalist, and I'm by no means saying this album is bad. Superunknown has just unfortunately been the least enjoyable member of the Grunge club for me (at least until Stone Temple Pilots came along).
Klinkt goed Voor de hardere muziek is het lastig tekst te verstaan. Voorkeur voor de rustige nummers. Beste nummers: Kickstand, my wave, black hole sun en spoon man. Kickstand bracht lach op mijn gezicht. Standout op het album Vrij dramatisch.
It was fine, don’t necessarily love this type of rock
song one: enjoying the verses, chorus not so much
I’m sure this album was a huge hit for grunge rock dads. Album has some decent songs but I’d probably never listen to the whole album again. 3/5
I've always found Soundgarden empty and vapid.
Spoonman and Black Hole Sun to one side this is as generic as it comes.
Really like the riffs on this one
Prog Grunge. Meandering and loud, but not powerful. They are super talented in technique, no critique of the compositions, Chris Cornell kills it in the high registers, guitars slay the amps, drums deal out destruction, yet it just seemed like undynamic loudness instead of intensity. Anyway, back to my hair metal playlist.
Not something I would put on myself. Pretty rock. Very raw vocals, although almost distracting at times? All in all, it was alright.
fire rock
Knew from the first song that it was the kind of music that I don't really like. Reminds me of Korn which I really don't like. Black Hole Sun is a classic but it's the only good song on this and it's because it was nostalgic for me. Aside from personal preference, the musicality is very impressive. Funky time signatures and key changes all over and a ton of easter eggs referring to past tracks to give it more continuity. Overall 1/5, not my thing but I get why it's someone's thing.
Pretty much the standard of its time, interesting to hear the influences it led to. Very Radiohead sounding in places
Really grungey. Chris Cornell’s voice is great, and it really soars in some of the earlier tracks here. The huge guitars and drums are at their best when they’re more upbeat and full of life, rather than the dreary mid-tempo songs. The album is bit much to listen to in one go, but there’s some great stuff in there, and if you’re into your grunge, you’d love it.
Another day where I can't quite break down each song, and so have just been riding the vibes with this one today. Bias definitely here, as Grunge is one of my favourite genres, with it's angry fuzzy guitars, heavy bass and screeching lyrics. All the reasons for most to hate the genre, but I've always loved how raw the emotion has felt in Grunge. Whilst I am familiar with some of their songs (Black Hole Sun and Fell on Black Days ofc), I haven't ever listened to the entire album. The most standout tracks for me were "Let Me Down", "Mailman", "Head Down", "The Day I tried to Live" and "Flesh Tendrils".
What a fantastic album. It holds up well after all these years. It's really impressive how much depth it has. The album is best known for the hits (Black Hole Sun and Spoonman) but for me there are a dozen other equally good songs.
Soubdgarden was one ofnthe few Grunge bands that 16-year-old me wasn't a huge fan of, because I preferred the growly vocals of bands like Pearljam, Alice in Chains and Stone Temple Pilots. But, 16-year-old me was kind of dumb sometimes. The only thing that keeps this from 5 star range is that it's a little overstuffed and a few songs feel like filler.
The only faults this album has is 1) being one of too few entries in Chris Cornell's canon, and 2) being a bit too long. But even with those faults, this holds up insanely well. The hits (but for Spoonman, which I never liked) still resonate - even Black Hole Sun, which I solidly thought I'd hate after hearing it overplayed on MTV for most of my junior year of high school. But the deep cuts are often also great (Limo Wreck, Head Down) with only the last 5 or so tracks feeling like filler. That said, even the filler isn't painful and skip-inducing - it just kind of fades into a grungy melange that doesn't stand out as amazingly as much of the rest of the album. Minor critiques for a classic 90s album.
El clásico por antonomasia del Grunge. Ojo a los tiempos porque su anterior disco, el excelente Badmotorfinger se publicó apenas una semana o dos después del Nevermind de Nirvana, y este Superunknown lo hizo apenas una mes antes del suicidio (y final de Nirvana y del grunge) de Cobain. Puede que este disco fuera el epitafio del grunge, o el Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness de los Smashing (mñas variado sin duda). Superunknown cuenta con temas básicos como Spoonman o Black Hole Sun. Sonidos pesados, pero con algo de psicodelia por ejemplo en Black Hole Sun, Fresh Tendrils (con un registro vocal excelso, a lo Corey Glover de Living Colour) o Mailman, un temazo. Abren a todo ritmo con Let Me Drown, dura como The Day I Tried to Live o la propia Spoonman. Fell on black days suena un poco a los RHCP (compartieron productor). Cornell está superlativo. Superunknown es demasiado dura y monótona para mi gusto (algo similar a Kicksand9, prefiero Head Down por ejemplo, que además sirve de puente al meollo del álbum: la triada Black Jole sun, Spoonman (con su solo de cuchara), The Day I Tried To Live. Like suicide es eso.. un buen final. Nunca fueron una banda que me gustara demasiado (soy mucho más de Pixies-Sonic Youth e incluso Screaming Trees-Nirvana), ni entonces ni ahora, pero eso no quita para darles el reconocimiento que se merecen.
Ridiiiiiinnnnggggggg you all the way
I bypassed Soundgarden when they were around. I didn’t think they brought anything particularly remarkable to the table. I still don’t. Hearing this thirty years later it’s good for what it is. Some good songs, brilliantly produced. Black Hole Sun alone makes it a five, but as an entity it’s a three for me.
'Damn the water, burn the wine / I'm going home for the last time.' Grunge is heavy and often cheesy, but at its best, it's also 'real,' however you'd like to disentangle that adjective. It was at its best and its most real w/ Nirvana and Soundgarden, never w/ Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, or Screaming Trees. Importantly, it's 'real' but not necessarily an exponent of realism: it comes from the marrows of the human condition, it's guttural and lousy, it's spit-up and scummy lunchmeat. It's real b/c you fucking feel it, even if want to get the fuck away from it: 'Hello, don't you know me? / I'm the dirt beneath your feet.' I don't think Chris Cornell was the voice of a generation as Kurt was, but in his relentless darkness, you're pillared: 'Head high, head high.'
Some unreal riffage on here. Chris Cornell is sorely missed. What a talent. A little long perhaps with a bit of filler but to be honest the vast majority of songs on here get it scoring pretty highly. Spoooonnmaaaan!!
Kim Thayil's guitar is just the right mix of support and lead. Love the work on Limo Wreck. Chris Cornell - what an iconic voice. This era of music has some of the best vocalists.
If there's a place or time that "perfected" this sound (grunge) for the mainstream, this is surely it. They retained the heaviness of earlier records while clearly displaying diverse influences and styles. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 to be the band's true commercial and critical breakthrough. Suddenly, everyone wanted to hear them play their song.
Largely awesome, even if perhaps grating at times. Landmark album. 4.2
Great album!!
Same album with "Blackhole Sun". The rest of the album holds up to the song. Super solid harder rock and a solid album.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Great album! I do want to revisit bc I feel like I would appreciate it more on a second listen
GOING IN: Dreading it properly LISTENED WHILE: lounging FAMILIARITY: Know the artist, not the album SKIP RATE: Gave up entirely REPLAY VALUE: Once was plenty DISCOVERY CURVE: Never happened ALBUM ARC: Dunno, gave up VERDICT: Waste of my time BODY'S VERDICT: Statue mode FAVOURITE TRACK: My Rating: 0
Really tried to give it a go, but I was just waiting for it to end to be honest.
8/10
Rock and fuckin ROLL
One full listen through of the album later and it's wildly different from anything I've ever listened to in the past. My favorite song so far is Black Hole Sun and Let me Down, and the most of the rest of it sounded like really heavy metal. I also liked Superunknown, but I will be doing another listen through of the album, maybe where I can actually listen to the lyrics.
Heard it
Soundgarden and this album specifically give grunge a smoothness thanks to the warm guitar and Chris Cornell's legendary voice. Maybe it's because it was the first of many albums I stole from my dad in what would be a decades long war he started by stealing my Bad Religion CD, but this album has a special place in my heart. Although I haven't listed to it in a few years and my taste in music has considerably drifted, it's still earns what only my favorite albums do, five stars. P.s. Deluxe edition is 5 stars as well.
i haven’t heard this album in years! it’s very tight and has some really good songs on it, i just feel like i’ve heard it too much though 3.5
Don’t like the sound, don’t resonate with the lyrics.
I think it's a good album but it's not my cup of tea or the style I usually like
Really good album put almost every song from the Playlist with very few exceptions the album has alot of energy songs you can really bang your head to or lift them heavy weights all around a good album my style
This was great.
Iconic sound and timeless hits. Kickstand and 4th of July on the back half were a little lackluster to me, but there's plenty to enjoy on this record.
These guys certainly know what they're about. Heavy and dramatic throughout, album only drags a little on Mailman and Spoonman
Another album from my depressed teen years. While I was worried that this album would also get worse on an actual relisten, like The White Stripes did, I gotta say it absolutely holds up. Grunge vs Blues Revival for life apparently. This one however is leagues better lyrically than the other and very solid musically. Specifically there is so much more variety and depth present. While some are creatively nonsesical, and most are extremely depressed, there's more to the lyrics than just depression there's thoughts on greed, war, patriotism and a bit of gender going on. Literally a whole song singing about riding the mailman. The only issue is that lyrically and tonally its pretty much 'nothing but rock' and it can get pretty grating after awhile, and the highest points on the album is when they try something new. Overall really great album and clearly immensely influential on modern rock, that holds up entirely today.
Well, turns out I don't like grunge very much. This one felt like a chore.
Classic of the genre. To be cliche, they don’t make them like this anymore.
Genialitet i gränslandet mellan trad metal och grunge. Utan dem inget Pearl Jam, inget Nirvana. Men detta är fjärde skivan; inte den bästa. En stark fyra.
Love Black Hole Sun, but this isn't my fav genre and hard to get through this one.
I knew I’d love it!
Hooks and heft. Superunknown delivers a breadth of sounds found on few records. With 60’s psychedelic influences, carried by Cameron’s drumming and experimental and varied time signatures, wonderfully odd bass and guitar riffs, Soundgarden delivered something new. Yet, the hooks and Cameron’s languid phrasing make the music, especially the singles, easily accessible. Released a time when even fans were growing tired of grunge and bands were trying to shed the label, it is a shame that this album received the label because it belies the complexity of this record. Superunknown is great rock and roll.
really good, makes me want to listen to more soundgarden albums in full since this was my first, especially their earlier albums to see how their sound evolved before the 90s grunge scene really took off
01) Let Me Drown - 6,5 02) My Wave - 6,5 03) Fell on Black Days - 7,5 04) Mailman - 6,5 05) Superunknown - 6,0 06) Head Down - 7,5 07) Black Hole Sun - 10,0 08) Spoonman - 9,0 09) Limo Wreck - 7,5 10) The Day I Tried to Live - 8,0 11) Kickstand - 7,0 12) Fresh Tendrils - 6,5 13) 4th of July - 7,0 14) Half - 7,0 15) Like Suicide - 6,5 TOTAL: 7,27 (73/100) Current ranking: 380/760
Pretty cool
This was the first album I've listened again as something told me I should give it another go. I've heard it before and like most other American rock on here just found it... a bit boring. But having to listen in two halves helped. For some reason the half after Black Hole Sun (which is great) clicked a bit more for me, with Kickstand, Fresh Tendrils and 4th of July all standing out. I listened again and I'm still not a massive fan of everything including Cornell's voice on this album - even though I like Audioslave or the dirginess of that 90s American rock sound, but it's a strong album.
i just love chris cornell’s voice so much. i can’t believe he’s been gone for 9 years already. I always had a slight preference for Audioslave (maybe because i found them first), but this is great as well.
I really want to like this. Chris Cornell was a genius, black hole sun is just beautiful... But 70 mins is long and there is not enough variation on songwriting or production for me. It feels like a 90s American rock album where there isn't a lot of subtlety (beyond the elegance of his singing) and I find it draining to listen to. I don't know at what point I started zoning out from it. But I did Alas.
"We looked deep down inside the very core of our souls and there was a little Ringo sitting there. Oh sure, we like telling people it's John Lennon or George Harrison, but when you really look deep inside of Soundgarden, there's a little Ringo wanting to get out." -Kim Thayil
Soundgarden was never on the same level for me as Pearl Jam or Nirvana. Returning to this album thirty years later didn't changey mind
Pretty rocking. Very 90s.
I love everything Chris Cornell. I had one wonderful live experience with Soundgarden back in 1991. Yes, 1991. Since that time, my appreciation for his music, his voice and lyrics have only grown to the point I have to say he one of my all time favorites. I miss that man. This album hits me on some many levels I not sure I could explain without writing a short story. I remember my young son using My Wave as his model about writing a story about life and how life defines who he is and has become. Definitely one of my favorites. Superunknow is a banger I can listen to without ever tiring. And while I think Black Hole Sun, Spoonman (real person, look up the story) and Fell on Black days are very good, radio overplayed and kinda killed the feeling of how good the songs were when they came out. Let Me Drown, Head Down, Limo Wreck and 4th of July deserved as much, if not more attention. This is just a great album. The Day I Tried to Live.....I willed that song into my wife. Let me bring you home. I did. Toughest woman out there who went through shit no person should have to. My Wave, the bass at the end, I think of my favorite bass player of all time. He's hanging out with Chris. Love you both but damn you and damn Like Suicide. A great album that will always be very special to me. My son bought me a photo of Chris's last show in Detroit. Sometimes I still cry just looking at it. Tough write up for this listener but I can't give this album anything but 5. 5
4 My dad’s a big Soundgarden and Chris Cornell fan, so their music has been with me for most of my life, but I can’t say that I’ve ever actually given this full album a listen until now. Truth is, I hold a lot of respect for the band and quite enjoy a few of their songs, but they’ve never been one of my personal favorites, even within the context of ‘90s grunge (I’m a bit more of a Nirvana and Alice in Chains guy, but I’ll give SG the edge over Pearl Jam). To take it a step further, I’m a bit sick of the group’s radio hits, and while it’s certainly impressive how many are contained here, I didn’t find myself overly excited to listen to them again here. Fortunately, this album is deep cuts galore. It’s hard to say how much of my opinion is chalked up to recency bias or just being jaded with the stuff I knew, but I’m telling you right now, I think Mailman, Head Down, Limo Wreck, and 4th of July are all WAY better songs than Black Hole Sun, Fell on Black Days, or Spoonman. Hell, I would even go as far as to say that 4th of July may very well now be my all-time favorite Soundgarden song - I love how gritty it is despite being about seeing a lot of vibrant colors while on LSD. That said, while not favorites, I can’t say that I was too annoyed hearing the hits within the context of this album, and reading up on them gave me new appreciation for Spoonman in particular. Turns out, Spoonman (short for Artis the Spoonman) is a real dude, famous for playing spoons as musical instruments in streets of Seattle (something I think he still might do today?) If you listen closely, you can hear him play said spoons on the track. However, among the five singles, the real heavy hitters are ironically the least streamed ones, The Day I Tried to Live and My Wave. The Day I Tried to Live is probably the one song I remember my dad playing the most off this album (that and Superunknown), and seeing it performed live with members of Soundgarden and Nirvana at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Show in Los Angeles helped me develop a new appreciation for it - Taylor certainly wasn’t the only one on the mind in that moment. As for My Wave, I’ll always think of an essay I wrote in like 9th or 10th grade regarding a song that defines us. It probably wouldn’t be my pick if I were given that assignment now (All My Friends by LCD Soundsystem is the first that comes to mind), but I also can’t say the “keep negative vibes out” sentiment has changed much about me. Overall, this is an excellent album through and through, though a touch long - I honestly think you could cut Kickstand, Fresh Tendrils, and Half without losing much. And something I want to touch on but don’t want to dwell on was how dark this album is. I never took Soundgarden as a particularly depressing group, but there’s not a ton of positive energy to be found here, which sort of provides new context for songs like Black Hole Sun and Fell on Black Days in retrospect. That wasn’t something I disliked per se, but given all that’s passed, it evokes certain feelings. But that’s not what this should be remembered for - It should be remembered for great music and unparalleled talent. I picked up a framed photograph of Chris from a booth at NOFX’s final show last year for my dad (shoutout to Punk Rock & Paintbrushes and Steve Thrasher), and I think the accompanying description put it in the best, most succinct way possible: “There will never be another like him.” No, there certainly won’t.
I wanted to like Soundgarden as this was my introduction to them. Unfortunately, this was an absolute flop.
Favorite Song: Black Hole Sun Least Favorite Song: Superunknown I'm sure I would appreciate this more if I was a straight man. Some of the songs are just uninteresting and drag on for a little too long.
not so fan - quite flat for me but i really understand we can love it.
3 for spoonman.
It maybe could use to be a little shorter but there was no way I was giving this album any other rating, it's too goddamn good. Soundgarden's absolute peak.
Wasn't super in the mood for Soundgarden today, but Black Hole Sun and Spoonman are bangers any day of the week
SPOOOOONMAAAAAAN
Great album. Soundgarden are probably toward the higher end of the heaviness scale for music I'm able to enjoy listening to, but there's enough of a focus on melodies and structure here to keep me engaged. It's maybe a little on the long side; a couple of the weaker tracks like Fresh Tendrils and Half could maybe have been cut to make the album tighter, but it doesn't detract from the experience that much. Favourite tracks: The Day I Tried to Live, Black Hole Sun, Superunknown
6.0/10
Very good! This rocks, has that skunk anansie/anouk/incubus sound but better. Of course great singing
🥄🥄🥄 ♂️♂️♂️
(82/100)
It was ok, but not my type. I like Black Hole Sun the best.
Not really my style, but I'll give it another listen.
This album is where metal and grunge collide. A raw testament to this heavy band and Cornell's unmistakable voice.
FORMATIVE - I Love this album so much. The Day I tried to live is my top track and the music video for Black Hole Sun is my favorite of all time. Love limo wreck. The best songs weren't the ones that got radio play.
One of my favorites of all time.
Big swing cock rock. I know it was sold as grunge in the day, but hard to hear huge differences from LA and hair metal bands of the same time. And there is nothing wrong with hair metal. It has the CD-era problem of too many songs: like 4 or 5 could be cut for a leaner meaner record. Glad they broke big from this, I guess
Soundgarden coaxes a space where pop, rock, punk, and metal can co-exist. That’s one way of describing grunge, I guess. Tuneful songs and Chris Cornell’s voice make it all cohere.
nepatinka metalas
320/1089 - What Nirvana does with harmony, Soundgarden does with rhythm. Super inventive and so many great songs on this one. Truly the best grunge album.
I really like Black Hole Sun and didn't get any new favourites after listening to the whole album for the first time. Still a gem of its time though
waaaay too long dude. like come on. im not sure about the music either. good singing obviously but otherwise dont really know man,
Another classic from my high school days that I never owned or listened to all the way through. I respected Soundgarden but never too into them. Black Hole Sun was constantly on the radio for years and pretty annoying. I get it a lot more now. A lot of really brilliant music on here and less sludge than I was expecting. My Wave, which I haven't heard in forever, is absolutely on point and should have been a huge hit. In honor of that song being in 5/4 time I will award this 4/5 stars.
Actually enjoyed this.
Awesome album
Had no idea that these guys were the ones that did Black Hole Sun, but a lot of really cool sounds and songs on here, really enjoyed. Would round up to a 4.5 if I could but there could have been a little more like ingenuity throughout that I think would have bumped it up.
Really fuckin good
good album, good band
Great album! What a powerhouse voice from Chris Cornell, he is still very much missed. Highlights: "Black Hole Sun", "Spoonman" and "The Day I Tried to Live"
Obra maestra del grunge sin paliativos. El bueno de Chris Cornell, siempre a la sombra del mediático Kurt Cobain, encuentra la llave maestra para elevar el género a categoría suprema. Riffs y baterías contundentes, fuerza melódica y energía vocal, todo puesto a la disposición de los “angry young men and women” de los 90. Y además con hitazos como “Black Hole Sun”, “Spoonman” o “My Wave”. Imprescindible.
Love this album, but also think Spoonman is one of the worst songs, and never have understood why it has had such longevity.
I hate the song black hole sun. Still this is a good album.
As a fan of 90s alternative, there isn’t any better than Soundgarden. The vocals are absolutely incredible. Pair that with the guitar prowess and poetic lyrics, and you have an incredible album!
Holds up!
Takes me back to high school, but in a good way. This album is still great.
Kanskje favoritt Soundgarden album. Dette smeller og var dødsnice gjenhør! alt for lenge siden sist!
Gibt mir nix :/f
The origins of butt rock
Second experience with grunge. I really like the sound of this album. I overall prefer this over Nevermind by Nirvana (my first grunge experience) but that could be becasue of recency bias as well. Some songs do feel like it drags on a bit without changing much, so I would overall rate it like a 3.5/10
hmm so before this, the only soundgarden song i listened to was black hole sun. and so far the vibe is actually different from that song, which is surprising to me i mean i still like it, its my kinda rock [mac demarco reference?!?!] halfway mark, i rlly like it so far, only gripe for a few parts is that they drag on for too long overall, great album, but i would rather listen to their contemporaries, like nirvana [most of the time].
Discazo que me llevo de nuevo a mis queridos 90s
Classic grunge!!
Nice
Just a solid album from start to finish. Interesting how melodic Black Hole Sun is compared to the other songs.