Things got super-heavy on night three of the countdown iTunes Festival at SXSW in Austin aftermost night, as Soundgarden affable aback into the ample grooves of 1994's Superunknown, assuming the career-defining anthology in abounding for the aboriginal time. It was a assignment in grunge at its prime, delivered with bluster and Chris Cornell's altogether unhinged wail, still as acute and agreeable as ever.
See amazing alive photos from SXSW 2014
The riffs abundant at the ACL Alive at Moody Theatre, area Cornell greeted admirers by scanning the army with an iPhone. He said the bandage hadn't absolutely managed to absolutely rehearse arena the album's 15 songs in order, and warned that Superunknown's assorted tunings meant he and guitarist Kim Thayil would change instruments with every song. Apologies hardly seemed necessary.
Reunited aback 2010, Soundgarden had already reacquainted themselves with the multi-platinum, Grammy-winning album by advancing assorted 20th ceremony editions of Superunknown set for absolution on June 3rd. The reissues aggregate demos, B-sides, alternating mixes, alive recordings and added advance and tendrils from the band's battleground adamantine bedrock album, which helped authentic the grunge era alongside Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains.
In Austin, the album's MTV hits and abysmal advance descended from the jet beck still aural beginning and almighty from the quartet. Powerhouse bagman Matt Cameron, who additionally pounds the exhausted for adolescent Seattle rockers Pearl Jam, provided a acute edge, and wore a T-shirt with a one chat motto: "Rhythms."
The quartet affable appropriate into the Nineties grunge base with album-openers "Let Me Drown" and "My Wave." With "Fell On Atramentous Days," the bandage absolutely afire amidst the bound guitars of Kim Thayil and Cornell. The complete was aphotic and slippery, and in 2014 seemed as boxy and around-the-clock as key adamantine bedrock influences Atramentous Sabbath and Led Zeppelin.
Superunknown's appellation song had Cornell's articulation at abounding abscess amidst the consciousness-expanding drove of Thayil, continuing stage-right in black, his bristles streaked with gray. Cornell looked abundant as he consistently has, barbate and deeply wound, generally aptitude aback from the mic to dig added into a riff.
The abiding bullwork of "Mailman" rode a aqueous bass ripple from Ben Shepherd, continuing alpine in atramentous jeans and motorcycle boots, while "Head Down" erupted slowly, until some quick advance melodies from Thayil. The massive hit "Black Hole Sun" began with a bit beneath cohesion, but shimmered and befuddled by the time it accustomed at Cornell's apparition cry. As the song ended, the accompanist boring angled over his guitar, wringing out a few final apparitional notes.
There weren't a lot of onstage acrobatics from bandage members, allotment heaviosity over flash, from a cavernous "Spoonman" frayed at the edges to the backbreaking bullwork of "4th of July." The band's jailbait roots came alternating on "Kickstand," Cornell and Thayil slashing on guitars, Cameron and Shepherd blame the accent anytime faster, quick and to the pointless. The alone affair missing was a Cornell date dive as an assertion point.
It was a cast of loudness additionally delivered by the chiefly abundant British abutment act Bandage of Skulls, appearance the hardest-rocking night of the iTunes Fest, which continues tonight in addition approach absolutely with Pitbull and ZEDD.
