Soundgarden
Superunknown

THE REVIEW

Everyone knows (or almost) that grunge music is hybrid. You've got rock, punk, and metal in it. Now, let's say someone adds a dose of melody to all this mess, who knows what might come out.
Well, what comes out is a CD-masterpiece like Superunknown, the fourth effort by the American band Soundgarden, a CD capable of giving you a damn jolt or bringing you down.

Captivating right from the cover (and that's saying something), Superunknown is energetic, badass, dark, convincing. On first listen, it grabs you; on the second, you like it; on the third, you are passionate about it. There's not much innovation here, but there's creativity and quality, stuff you can't buy at a market.
The band's talent is all there in the psychedelic ballad Black Hole Sun, with a melancholic and nostalgic atmosphere; there's the flair in the masterpiece Head Down, a (vaguely) psychedelic idea accompanied by a whispering voice; there's the chaos of the title track, hard rock riff, damn beautiful voice, drums and bass hitting hard; Mailman, damn, conveys anxiety, vibrates engagingly on that oppressive metal riff. And how can we overlook the angriest track on the CD... Let Me Drown is a spectacle, flaunts a violent riff and an energetic voice, you already know you'll remember that tune.
There's also My Wave, a slightly contaminated rock, which at times even seems like pop-rock.

And that's it. Like hell it is.

Spoonman starts, more modern hard rock, and it goes on; we even change genre, with the punk of Kickstand that speeds up the rhythm, accelerates, without unnecessary technicalities. There's the surprise of Half, which with those sounds and that subdued singing discovers distant, oriental sounds. And then, another wonder. Anguish, oppression, discomfort mix in 4th Of July, which disarms you right from the start, with that annoying and overbearing riff. Heroin gives me a similar effect, there you feel claustrophobic.
This CD seems perfect, but in the end (unfortunately) it's not. Something is missing, it's true: perhaps a bit more anger, more immediacy that would have elevated it to the highest levels. Maybe it comes down to insights. But anyhow, twelve years have passed, let's enjoy it to the fullest. Because Superunknown deserves it, period. With all due respect to the detractors.