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King Animal
King Animal is the sixth and final studio album by American rock band Soundgarden, released on November 13, 2012, through Universal Republic and Loma Vista Recordings in North America and Vertigo Records elsewhere. Produced by the band alongside Adam Kasper, it was Soundgarden's first studio album in 16 years, following Down on the Upside (1996). King Animal was also the final studio album released by Soundgarden prior to the death of frontman Chris Cornell in 2017 and the subsequent dissolution of the band in 2018.
In January 2010, Chris Cornell announced that 13 years after their break-up, Soundgarden had reunited. At first, the band was primarily interested in relearning their old songs and playing them live, but Cornell declared that "It would be exciting to record one song, to hear how Soundgarden-ish that might be this much time later." The band's first studio work was finishing the song "Black Rain" for the compilation Telephantasm (2010), which guitarist Kim Thayil said "showed our evolvement creatively", and in late 2010 drummer Matt Cameron booked studio time to show some song ideas and have the band compose some more through jam sessions. In February 2011, it was announced on Soundgarden's homepage that they had started writing new songs. One month later, recording sessions for a new album began at Seattle's Studio X, with producer Adam Kasper. The sessions were interrupted by the end of the month so Cornell could move onto his solo "Songbook" tour, which would be interspersed with Soundgarden concerts. As the band's contract with A&M Records was fulfilled after releasing Telephantasm and the live album Live on I-5 (2011), Soundgarden produced King Animal independently.
Cameron claimed in April 2011 that the album would be released later that year, but the recording was prolonged, with Thayil saying: "the more we enjoy it, the more our fans should end up enjoying it." In October, Cornell said the band would return to the studio in December and the album was "mostly done, we just need to finish a couple of songs and mix it, so that will be happening probably over the holidays."
In May 2012, the band reported they were eyeing a release that October. On September 17, it was announced that the album would be titled King Animal and would be released on November 13, 2012. Cornell said the title relates to how the band "were a big fish in a small pond, and we sort of graduated. There was a sense of us feeling like it was us four against the world. We clearly had that from the very beginning. In some weird way after all this time, we persevered. The album kind of stands out as a symbol and an indication of that."
The band reported that they had 12 to 14 songs that were "kind of ready to go" in March 2011, and the material for the album was "90 percent new". One of the songs that is an updated version of an older idea is "Taree", which bassist Ben Shepherd wrote in the late 1990s. He had recorded a demo of the song for his solo album In Deep Owl (2013) before the band's reunion, but then decided it deserved a full-band treatment.
In June 2011, Thayil said some songs on the album would sound "similar in a sense to Down on the Upside", and the album "pick[s] up where we left off. There are some heavy moments, and there are some fast songs", though the maturation of the musicians during the band's hiatus has also been said to be evident. "Non-State Actor" is mostly in 4/4, but has parts in 5/8 and 7/8. "By Crooked Steps" is in 5/4.
The album's cover and subsequent art direction is based on a sculpture titled "Night of the Last Equinox" by Josh Graham, who Thayil sought out after seeing the artwork Graham had done for his band A Storm of Light. Featuring animal skulls above a field of flowers in a snowy forest, the sculpture features a recurring motif of Graham's art: the juxtaposition of life and death and how "everything between there is such a massive part of the human condition." Cornell said the art was inspired by Graham's interpretation of the songs, and he felt it was a good fit, given the band's frequent moody lyrics with an outdoor theme. Thayil revealed that the band asked for art that featured white and other lighter colors, as "most of our album covers have had a darker pallet [sic]". Graham also did the animated backdrops that Soundgarden used during the album's tour and directed the music video for the album's first single, "Been Away Too Long". The pictures of the band members in the booklet that accompanied the album were taken by the band manager Don VanCleave.
For the release of King Animal, Soundgarden signed a deal with longtime label executive Tom Whalley's new Loma Vista Recordings, and distribution was handled by Loma Vista's partner Republic Records. Cornell said the experience of only seeking a label once the album was completed was "almost like it was in the beginning of the band." To promote the album, the band recorded a track-by-track narrative at Seattle's Moore Theatre and performed intimate concerts at New York's Irving Plaza, Toronto's Phoenix Concert Theatre, and Los Angeles' Fonda Theatre.
King Animal
King Animal is the sixth and final studio album by American rock band Soundgarden, released on November 13, 2012, through Universal Republic and Loma Vista Recordings in North America and Vertigo Records elsewhere. Produced by the band alongside Adam Kasper, it was Soundgarden's first studio album in 16 years, following Down on the Upside (1996). King Animal was also the final studio album released by Soundgarden prior to the death of frontman Chris Cornell in 2017 and the subsequent dissolution of the band in 2018.
In January 2010, Chris Cornell announced that 13 years after their break-up, Soundgarden had reunited. At first, the band was primarily interested in relearning their old songs and playing them live, but Cornell declared that "It would be exciting to record one song, to hear how Soundgarden-ish that might be this much time later." The band's first studio work was finishing the song "Black Rain" for the compilation Telephantasm (2010), which guitarist Kim Thayil said "showed our evolvement creatively", and in late 2010 drummer Matt Cameron booked studio time to show some song ideas and have the band compose some more through jam sessions. In February 2011, it was announced on Soundgarden's homepage that they had started writing new songs. One month later, recording sessions for a new album began at Seattle's Studio X, with producer Adam Kasper. The sessions were interrupted by the end of the month so Cornell could move onto his solo "Songbook" tour, which would be interspersed with Soundgarden concerts. As the band's contract with A&M Records was fulfilled after releasing Telephantasm and the live album Live on I-5 (2011), Soundgarden produced King Animal independently.
Cameron claimed in April 2011 that the album would be released later that year, but the recording was prolonged, with Thayil saying: "the more we enjoy it, the more our fans should end up enjoying it." In October, Cornell said the band would return to the studio in December and the album was "mostly done, we just need to finish a couple of songs and mix it, so that will be happening probably over the holidays."
In May 2012, the band reported they were eyeing a release that October. On September 17, it was announced that the album would be titled King Animal and would be released on November 13, 2012. Cornell said the title relates to how the band "were a big fish in a small pond, and we sort of graduated. There was a sense of us feeling like it was us four against the world. We clearly had that from the very beginning. In some weird way after all this time, we persevered. The album kind of stands out as a symbol and an indication of that."
The band reported that they had 12 to 14 songs that were "kind of ready to go" in March 2011, and the material for the album was "90 percent new". One of the songs that is an updated version of an older idea is "Taree", which bassist Ben Shepherd wrote in the late 1990s. He had recorded a demo of the song for his solo album In Deep Owl (2013) before the band's reunion, but then decided it deserved a full-band treatment.
In June 2011, Thayil said some songs on the album would sound "similar in a sense to Down on the Upside", and the album "pick[s] up where we left off. There are some heavy moments, and there are some fast songs", though the maturation of the musicians during the band's hiatus has also been said to be evident. "Non-State Actor" is mostly in 4/4, but has parts in 5/8 and 7/8. "By Crooked Steps" is in 5/4.
The album's cover and subsequent art direction is based on a sculpture titled "Night of the Last Equinox" by Josh Graham, who Thayil sought out after seeing the artwork Graham had done for his band A Storm of Light. Featuring animal skulls above a field of flowers in a snowy forest, the sculpture features a recurring motif of Graham's art: the juxtaposition of life and death and how "everything between there is such a massive part of the human condition." Cornell said the art was inspired by Graham's interpretation of the songs, and he felt it was a good fit, given the band's frequent moody lyrics with an outdoor theme. Thayil revealed that the band asked for art that featured white and other lighter colors, as "most of our album covers have had a darker pallet [sic]". Graham also did the animated backdrops that Soundgarden used during the album's tour and directed the music video for the album's first single, "Been Away Too Long". The pictures of the band members in the booklet that accompanied the album were taken by the band manager Don VanCleave.
For the release of King Animal, Soundgarden signed a deal with longtime label executive Tom Whalley's new Loma Vista Recordings, and distribution was handled by Loma Vista's partner Republic Records. Cornell said the experience of only seeking a label once the album was completed was "almost like it was in the beginning of the band." To promote the album, the band recorded a track-by-track narrative at Seattle's Moore Theatre and performed intimate concerts at New York's Irving Plaza, Toronto's Phoenix Concert Theatre, and Los Angeles' Fonda Theatre.