The surviving members of Soundgarden are still planning to release their final album with Chris Cornell, guitarist Kim Thayil has revealed.
For years, the long-shelved album has remained in limbo, tied up in legal battles between the band and Chris Cornell’s widow, Vicky. In 2019 and 2020, Vicky accused the surviving members of withholding Chris’ royalty payments and controlling unreleased recordings, while the band alleged she had misused funds raised during a 2019 tribute concert for personal expenses.
In 2023, both parties released a statement that the dispute had reached an ‘amicable out of court resolution,’ however later in the year, drummer Matt Cameron revealed the situation was still unresolved, and everything was put on pause again.
But even with these setbacks, the band is still set on releasing the album.
"Our objective and goal was always to complete that [album],” guitarist Kim Thayil recently told Rolling Stone.
“I probably have OCD enough to not want to leave something unfinished or incomplete like that, so I think the more we can attend to our body of work and our catalogue… I think everyone in the band feels that way. I don't just want to attend to my work, but the collective work, and in this case specifically, the work of Chris."
He continued, "I have pride for what I did and I want to see that come out. It doesn't exist in the vacuum. It exists as a collaboration with Matt and Ben and Chris, but it takes on an entirely different weight when you think about what it is you're honoring, and the work that you're paying tribute to.
“It is us collectively. We want to do it proud. And that part of us is certainly one of the most intimate components of what Soundgarden has been since 1984.
"It would be a great gift to the fans,” Thayil added. “And I do think about this, and I don't know how strange this sounds, but I feel like it's a gift to Chris too."
Soundgarden’s last album, King Animal, came out in 2012 - here’s hoping we get a release date for their final posthumous record soon.
In other Soundgarden news - they've recently been named among the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's 2025 inductees. Chris Cornell, Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron, Ben Shepherd, and founding member Hiro Yamamoto, will be honored later this year in Los Angeles.
