Soundgarden’s final album, featuring vocals by the late Chris Cornell, will likely be released in 2027, according to guitarist Kim Thayil.
Thayil told Ultimate Guitar that work on the project, which began several years ago, is ongoing. He said the band has found it challenging to finish the songs that Cornell left behind after his death in 2017. Thayil said the band feels a responsibility to get everything right.
“There are at least two songs that I wrote the music for,” Thayil said. “One of them, I wrote the lyrics for. One of the collaborations would have been that I submitted music to Chris, and he wrote lyrics for them.”
He explained that Cornell often changed the structure of the songs to fit his lyrics. “He would move the verse and chorus lengths and sequences to accommodate his lyrics. But then, they themselves had to accommodate the dynamic of the instrumental. Sometimes, lengths will increase to accommodate guitar solos.”
Thayil said he could not confirm how many tracks will appear on the album since the project is still in progress. “We’re looking at the material that we intend to complete, and we also look at material that perhaps we can complete,” he said. “These are decisions that are going to have to be made between Matt [Cameron], Ben [Shepherd] and I, and the producer. Right about now, it’s likely about eight or nine songs. More likely nine.”
He noted that the band is working around other commitments, which has slowed progress. “We have to book studio time here and there,” Thayil said. “It’s been a very busy year for us with the Hall of Fame induction, very busy year for me with the book, and until last year it was very busy for Matt with Pearl Jam recordings and Pearl Jam touring. We kind of have to work around a lot of that.”
Thayil did not rule out the possibility of touring to support the album, possibly with a guest vocalist or multiple singers. “That would be discussed roughly, generally—like, ‘Well, what do we do? How do we promote it?’” he said.
He emphasized the importance of the album for the band and for Cornell’s legacy. “We know the significance of this material, with our legacy and with Chris’s legacy. We want to make sure that it’s as great as it can be, and because it’ll be the last studio album.”