Opening with a blast of searing guitar, Soundgarden’s Superunknown grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go for upwards of 70 minutes. It’s a grunge magnum opus (if there is such a thing), incorporating punkish attack and metal virtuosity with a raw power comparable to the likes of Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. Yet there’s more to the record than just muscle and overdrive; the songs are lushly layered and tastefully arranged, and even amidst the guitar roar, there are touches of strangely Beatles-esque pop (the twisted, noisy crossover “Black Hole Sun”) and lush psychedelia (the bizarre “Half”).
This is the album that got me into grunge. Prior to hearing it, I never liked the music much. I thought it was too oversimplified, too noisy, too lacking in hooks. However, Superunknown is anything but that. The songs capture the we-don’t-give-a-fuck spirit of the movement perfectly, yet still manage to be arresting, complex, catchy and utterly head-bang worthy.
