The Seattle legends are wrapping up Chris Cornell’s unfinished record, while rumors swirl about a possible live comeback and the band’s future without their iconic frontman.
After getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on November 8, Soundgarden look ready to fire things back up. The Seattle crew’s still grinding away on the album they started with Chris Cornell before he passed, with Brendan O’Brien behind the boards. Word is, they’re wrapping it up these days — and the record’s expected to drop sometime in 2026.
Over the past few months, Matt Cameron and Ben Shepherd have hinted at the idea of hitting the road again — maybe with a few select shows and a new singer to bring those long-shelved songs to life. Cameron said, “We’re not replacing Chris — nobody can. But we want his music to live, to be heard the way it deserves.”
Word is, the record will feature eight or nine tracks with Cornell’s vocals taken from rare demos and unfinished sessions. Terry Date — who produced Louder Than Love — was rumored to be behind the board again, but nothing’s confirmed yet. Just whispers at this point.
Possible tracklist floating around:
- Road Less Traveled (Cornell/Cameron)
- Orphans (Cornell/Cameron)
- At Ophians Door (Cornell/Cameron)
- Cancer (Cornell)
- Ahead of the Dog (Cornell/Thayil)
- Mermas (Cornell/Shepherd)
- Stone Age Mind (Cornell)
Ben Shepherd said, “It’s not a sad record — it’s full of life. Chris is everywhere on it, but we’ve changed too. You can’t pretend time stood still.”
With his Pearl Jam days officially behind him since last July, Matt Cameron is now fully locked in on Soundgarden and a few side projects. One of them is Is This Real? – a band that started out as a Wipers tribute but has since grown into its own thing.
This Friday, November 14, 2025, they’re dropping their debut EP, Let You In, on all streaming platforms.
Here’s the tracklist — three brand-new tracks and a Wipers cover to top it off:
- Let You In
- Taking the Fall
- Let Me Know (Wipers)
- Fall Apart
Soundgarden are aiming to close the Cornell chapter properly, but they’re also ready to move forward.
If everything goes as planned, 2026–2027 could mark the comeback of one of the most influential and beloved bands in alt-rock history. And when it happens, the roar of Soundgarden will be heard once again — different, but just as powerful.
Born in Reggio Emilia in 1980. He created pearljamonline.it in 2001 and wrote the first edition of “Pearl Jam Evolution” in 2009 along with his wife Daria. Since 2022, he is behind 2 podcasts: “Pearl Jam dalla A alla Z” and “Fuori Orario Not Another Podcast”. He has collaborated with Barracuda Style, HvsR, Rolling Stone, Rockol and Il Fatto Quotidiano. He continues relentlessly to try to find “beautiful melodies that say terrible things”.
Favorite song: Present Tense
Favorite album: No Code
Favorite bands/artists other than PJ: Tom Waits, Soundgarden, Ramones, Bruce Springsteen, IDLES, Fontaines D.C., Mark Lanegan, R.E.M., Radiohead, Cat Power, Dead Kennedys