• Gatefold
• Booklet
  
  

Soundgarden's King Animal arrived in 2012 as the Seattle outfit's first studio album in sixteen years, following their 1997 dissolution and 2010 reunion. The record marked a decisive return for the band that had defined grunge's heavier end—reasserting their position as architects of sludgy, riff-driven alternative rock rather than followers of the movement they helped establish. King Animal proved the reunion wasn't nostalgia; it demonstrated the band's ability to write substantial new material that integrated lessons from their catalog without rehashing earlier triumphs.

The album's thirteen tracks establish an atmosphere of controlled heaviness and lyrical introspection. "Been Away Too Long" opens with the muscular presence expected from a Soundgarden return, while "Non-State Actor" showcases the band's gift for constructing angular, almost prog-inflected song architecture around Chris Cornell's commanding vocal presence. Mid-album cuts like "By Crooked Steps" and "A Thousand Days Before" explore slower, more meditative territory—the latter a particular showcase for the band's dynamics, building from near-whisper to crushing crescendo. "Blood On The Valley Floor" and "Bones Of Birds" demonstrate sustained compositional depth, with each track given room to develop without sacrificing the visceral impact that defined Soundgarden's appeal. The production across these sessions—recorded at Seattle's Studio X and Avast, with additional work in Los Angeles and mastered in New York—maintains clarity without sacrificing weight.

This 2×Vinyl pressing on 180-gram vinyl captures the album's studio density with the fidelity vinyl demands. The gatefold sleeve provides proper framing for the repatriated band's statement, and the EU pressing ensures accessibility for international collectors. For those seeking the album's intended presentation—its full dynamic range and layered instrumentation—this vinyl edition substantially outperforms compressed digital formats.

Tracklist:

A1. Been Away Too Long (3:36)
A2. Non-State Actor (3:57)
A3. By Crooked Steps (4:01)
A4. A Thousand Days Before (4:23)
B1. Blood On The Valley Floor (3:49)
B2. Bones Of Birds (4:23)
B3. Taree (3:38)
C1. Attrition (2:52)
C2. Black Saturday (3:30)
C3. Halfway There (3:16)
D1. Worse Dreams (4:53)
D2. Eyelid's Mouth (4:39)
D3. Rowing (5:06)