• Reissue
• Remastered
• 200 Gram
• Gatefold
  
  

Soundgarden's Superunknown arrived in 1994 as the Seattle band's third album and a watershed moment for grunge's commercial ascendancy. Following the breakthrough of Badmotorfinger, the record showcased a significant artistic leap—Kim Thayil's guitar work became more architecturally complex, while Chris Cornell's vocals expanded into operatic territory that challenged the genre's perceived boundaries. Superunknown established Soundgarden as more than a heavy alternative force; it was a statement of technical ambition and compositional depth within the grunge movement.

The album's sonic palette spans from the suffocating heaviness of "Let Me Drown" and the sludge-metal brutality of "Fell On Black Days" to the melodic restraint of "My Wave," where Cornell's vocal phrasing becomes almost conversational against minimalist instrumentation. "Superunknown," the extended title track, functions as a prog-inflected centerpiece—a seven-minute journey through time signatures and tonal shifts that feels genuinely exploratory rather than indulgent. "Mailman" strips the arrangement down to near-skeletal elements, emphasizing the band's restraint, while "Head Down" demonstrates their ability to sustain crushing heaviness across full song lengths. Throughout, the production captures both the definition of individual instruments and the enveloping weight of the ensemble.

This 2014 reissue marks the album's 20th anniversary with a remaster from original analog tapes, pressed onto 200-gram vinyl across two LPs for optimal fidelity and reduced surface noise. The gatefold packaging includes a 12-page book featuring newly selected photography and artwork, alongside a digital download card. The mastering and pressing quality justifies vinyl ownership for those with serious playback equipment—this is a record that rewards attention to pressing standards and reveals the depth of Bad Animals Studio's original engineering and mixing work.

Tracklist:

A1. Let Me Drown
A2. My Wave
A3. Fell On Black Days
A4. Mailman
B1. Superunknown
B2. Head Down
B3. Black Hole Sun
C1. Spoonman
C2. Limo Wreck
C3. The Day I Tried To Live
C4. Kickstand
D1. Fresh Tendrils
D2. 4th Of July
D3. Half
D4. Like Suicide
D5. She Likes Surprises