Gritty ‘Garden After The Popular Success Of “Superunknown,” Soundgarden Returns To A More Stripped-Down, Challenging Sound

‘This isn’t our ‘Meet The Beatles,’ that’s for sure,” says Chris Cornell, lead vocalist of Soundgarden, referring to the May 21 A&M release of the band’s “Down On The Upside.”

Cornell’s statement is his way of acknowledging that Soundgarden’s new album is a significant departure from its predecessor, 1994’s “Superunknown.”

That disc, Soundgarden’s third for A&M, was the band’s breakthrough hit, selling 3 million copies in the U.S. On it, the hard-rocking yet artsy Seattle foursome took an unexpectedly poppier turn, as evidenced by the melodic hit single “Black Hole Sun,” and the mass audience came running.

If any core fans were put off by the more commercial sound and success of “Superunknown,” it’s a safe bet they’ll come back to the fold upon hearing “Down On The Upside.” Its gritty, stripped-down sound is in considerable contrast to the relative gloss of “Superunknown,” while the songs are more challenging and less immediately accessible. Although they are more straightforward and focused than Soundgarden’s early work, the tunes retain the killer riffs and off-kilter time signatures that are the band’s trademarks.

In other words, anyone expecting the new album to be “Son Of Superunknown” is in for a surprise: There’s not a “Black Hole Sun” in the lot.

A&M, however, is squarely behind the release, according to president/CEO Al Cafaro. “They’ve made a change, but it’s the right change,” he says. “This is growth. How a band handles and follows up its breakthrough says everything about its future. Smart players don’t ‘follow up’ a hit record in the literal sense (by recording a like-sounding sequel).

“Those who’ve followed Soundgarden’s career from the beginning,” Cafaro continues, “will find that ‘Down On The Upside’ fits in powerfully and appropriately. As for their new fans, I think this record will play out more immediately and powerfully than might be expected.”

Soundgarden produced itself on this outing - a first for the band during its major-label recording career. One reason for this was simply expediency, according to drummer Matt Cameron, who says that working with “Superunknown” producer Michael Beinhorn was at times “a little bit more of a struggle than it needed to be, (although) the end result was very good. But it could have taken us half the time it did, getting a sound or going for a certain approach, if we’d done it ourselves.”

Adds Cornell, “For the most part, we’ve produced ourselves on any record we’ve made anyway. The ideas, arrangements, and final say on the songs was all us. We just realized that if you have an ear for arrangement and know what you want it to sound like, you’re a producer … Plus, it’s one less opinion to go through if you want to freak out and just do something.”

Not surprisingly, A&M was “initially concerned” about Soundgarden’s desire to produce itself, says Cafaro: “Labels are always wary of self-production, because there’ve been many failed efforts. But at each step, it was clear this was working. It was a fun, rewarding process, and they delivered.”

“Down On The Upside” was cut at Seattle’s Studio Litho, which was built by Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard. “It used to be an engraving warehouse,” says Cameron. “It had a really natural vibe, very comfortable.” All four members of the band, which includes guitarist Kim Thayil and bassist Ben Shepard, contributed to the songwriting process.

The first single, the Cornell-penned album opener “Pretty Noose,” hit modern rock, album rock, hard rock, metal, and college radio April 30, and it’s No. 7 on this week’s Billboard modern rock track chart. No commercial single will be available.

“Down On The Upside” will have a limited-edition (10,000 copies) vinyl-only release May 14, one week before the cassette/CD release.

The band will make its first live TV appearance when it appears on the season finale of “Saturday Night Live” May 18. The show will be hosted by Jim Carrey.

As for video plans, the “Pretty Noose” clip was shot in Seattle the first week of April with first-time director Frank Kozik, a visual artist and animator. Cornell says to expect “animation, illustration, something really colorful - unlike anything we’ve done.”

Soundgarden starts touring June 21 as part of this year’s Lollapalooza lineup. This is the band’s second stint on the tour; its first was in 1992.

“One reason we wanted to go back was that Metallica is headlining,” says Cornell, “so it’s going to be a completely different audience than your average Lollapalooza. The other is that we’re going to be playing in a lot more obscure markets.” Of course, Soundgarden is much bigger now than in 1992, when its Lollapalooza set occurred in the early afternoon. Cornell quips, “Yeah, now we’re late afternoon.”