Metal Anarchy

During a recent interview with Lyndsey Parker of Gold Derby and Lyndsanity!, Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron offered another update on the band’s final album with their late frontman Chris Cornell. According to him, the band are “maybe 70 percent finished with all the tracking and stuff.”

Cameron said the following:

“Well, we are in the process of finishing it. We don’t have a release date yet, but I’d say we’re about — I don’t know — maybe 70 percent finished with all the tracking and stuff. So, yeah, it sounds killer. It’s been a really amazing and bittersweet process as well. So, yeah, we are our hard at work at completing that album.”

He went on to discuss the initial sessions with Cornell:

“Well, gosh, we started songwriting together, trading demos back and forth around 2015, ’16, something like that. And then we had some sessions in 2017 before we went out on tour, just rough rehearsal. We recorded some rehearsals. But the vocals that we’re using are from the demos that we all recorded together. And so we’re just sort of building our tracks around those vocal parts. But yeah, it sounds killer, and we’re really excited to finish it.”

He also added the following after Parker mentioned how it “must be emotional and bittersweet to hear” Cornell’s voice:

“It really is. But I think we’re trying to stay focused on the overall sound of it and all the reasons for us doing it. But, yeah, it’s been tough to solo up that voice and hear him loud and clear. But I think the fans will like it and it’s gonna be a really nice way to finish the creative chapter in Soundgarden.”

He continued when asked if any of the new songs will be ready to perform during the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony:

“I don’t think there’s gonna be anything played at the ceremony. And I think the idea is that we wanna wait until everything’s finished and then we’ll start putting out singles. So, unfortunately we don’t have a real strict timeline for that just yet, but it’s pretty close. It’s pretty close.”

Cameron also discussed one new track called “The Road Less Traveled”:

“I wrote this music that I didn’t really know if it would fit for Soundgarden, but I just sent Chris all these musical ideas around 2016 or so, ’16, ’15. And that’s one that he really liked. He made an arrangement from my demo and then he added vocals to it, and it came out really, really good. The lyrics are mesmerizing, as always. But, yeah, that’s gonna be a really great one for people to hear. It has all the trademark elements that Soundgarden fans might be familiar with, as well as a little bit of new territory. And there’s two or three other songs that do sound like the band, but I think we were able to sort of stretch out a little bit creatively, and hopefully when people hear that song, they’ll notice that as well. But, yeah, I guess it’s hard rock. It’s sort of bluesy, sort of psychedelic, sort of folky, I guess all the things that we were known for. So, I hope people like that one when they finally do hear it.”

[via Blabbermouth]