By late 1991, Soundgarden had become a hotly-tipped name in alternative and metal circles. The band, who were always lumped in with their grunge contemporaries, hadn’t quite broken through yet – though their sophomore full-length (1989’s Louder Than Love) saw the band sign with a major label, the first grunge band in the scene to do so.
On 1991’s Badmotorfinger, though, the band had their first real breakthrough moment. One step was replacing the departed Hiro Yamamoto with bassist Ben Shepard, who added much to the band’s obvious songwriting talents. With the band’s Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath influences becoming more prominent, the record helped grunge, alternative rock, and alternative metal reach a mainstream audience. Vocalist Chris Cornell (along with the band’s songwriting and composition skills) took a quantum leap forward in skill, with Cornell’s range reaching insane levels on tracks like hit single “Rusty Cage” and the underrated “Room A Thousand Years Wide”. On the flip side, songs like the expansive “Slaves And Bulldozers” saw the band exploring an almost doom metal-esque, and is one of the heaviest songs Soundgarden ever recorded as well.
It quickly became the springboard for the band’s star turn, as well, landing the band opening slots for the likes of Guns ‘N’ Roses, slots at Lollapalooza, and much more. Released just two weeks after Nirvana’s Nevermind became a cultural touchtone, Soundgarden also reaped the benefits, with said exposure helping fuel the anticipation for 1994’s Superunknown – where Soundgarden became superstars.
