Superunknown

Description

This year, the band celebrates the 20th anniversary of this groundbreaking album with a special reissue 2-LP gatefold of the original 16 vinyl tracks remastered on 180-gram vinyl in a gatefold jacket.

The most important reason Superunknown is such a rich listen is twofold: Soundgardens embrace of psychedelia, and their rapidly progressing mastery of songcraft. Soundgardens full-on experiments with psychedelia give them a much wider sonic palette, paving the way for less metallic sounds and instruments, more detailed arrangements, and a bridge into pop (which made the eerie ballad Black Hole Sun a hit). That blossoming melodic skill is apparent on most of the record, not just the poppier songs and Cornell-penned hits. The dissonance and odd time signatures are still in force, though not as jarring or immediately obvious, which means that the album reveals more subtleties with each listen. Its obvious that Superunknown was consciously styled as a masterwork, and the album fulfills its every ambition. ~ Steve Huey