While speaking to Rolling Stone in a new interview, Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil discussed the status of the unreleased songs late frontman Chris Cornell recorded with the band before passing away in 2017.
When asked if he thinks that final record with Cornell will ever be released, Thayil responded:
“I think so. Our objective and goal was always to complete that. 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 catalog…I think everyone in the band feels that way. I don’t just to attend to my work, but the collective work, and in this case specifically, the work of Chris.
“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 [Cameron] and Ben [Shepherd] 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,” he 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.”
In 2023, Soundgarden and Chris Cornell’s widow Vicky Cornell announced they had reached “an amicable out-of-court resolution” regarding the release of the recordings Chris made before his death.
