King Animal

***King Animal*** is the sixth and final studio album by American rock band Soundgarden, released on November 12, 2012 by Seven Four Entertainment and Republic Records. Produced by both the band and Adam Kasper, the album is the band's first in sixteen years, and the first not to be released on A&M Records since 1988's _Ultramega OK_.

## Background and recording

Soundgarden reformed in 2010 after a 13-year hiatus. Following the success of the band's _Telephantasm_ compilation release that year, Soundgarden had been working on a new album with an undefined release date. The band went on an extended world tour between the release of _Telephantasm_ and the summer of 2012 before word broke that a new Soundgarden album would be ready for a fall release in the United States.

The band reported they had 12 to 14 songs "kind of ready to go" in March 2011. They addeed the album's songs would be "90 percent new". One of the songs that updates of an older idea is "Taree." Bassist Ben Shepherd wrote in the late 1990s. He had recorded a demo of the song for his solo album _In Deep Owl_ (2013). He decided it needed the full-band treatment after Soundgarden reunited.

## Composition and lyrics

In June 2011, Thayil said some songs on _King Animal_ would sound "similar in a sense to _Down on the Upside_. He added that it picks up where the band left off. "There are some heavy moments, and there are some fast songs." Despite this, the maturation of the musicians during the band's hiatus is evident. "Non-State Actor" is mostly in 4/4, but has parts in 5/8 and 7/8. "By Crooked Steps" is in 5/4.

_King Animal_ features more of a hard rock sound than Soundgarden's previous albums. It has also been described as grunge, alternative metal and psychedelic rock.

## Release

"Been Away Too Long" was the first single released from _King Animal_ on September 27, 2012. On October 31, "Non-State Actor" was released through Soundgarden's official YouTube channel. The son'gs video features an American flag waving back and forth with the _King Animal_ logo replacing the stars. The week before its release, the album was streamed in its entirety for free on iTunes.

## Personnel

**Soundgarden**
- Chris Cornell – lead vocals, rhythm guitar; piano <small>(6)</small>, mandolin <small>(7)</small>, producer, additional recording
- Kim Thayil – lead guitar, color guitar; mandolin <small>(4)</small>, horn arrangements <small>(4, 9)</small>, producer
- Ben Shepherd – bass guitar; additional guitar <small>(7, 8)</small>, baritone guitar <small>(8)</small>, backing vocals <small>(8)</small>, producer
- Matt Cameron – drums, percussion, backing vocals <small>(8)</small>, Moog synthesizer <small>(5 and 12)</small>, producer

**Additional musicians**
- Adam Kasper – piano <small>(6)</small>, tambura <small>(4)</small>, producer
- Jeff McGrath – trumpet <small>(4 and 9)</small>
- Greg Powers – tenor and bass trombones <small>(4 and 9)</small>
- Brad Stevens – tenor and baritone saxophones <small>(9)</small>
- Bubba Dupree – stun guitar <small>(8)</small>
- Bullet – additional vocals <small>(9)</small>
- Mike McCready – additional guitar <small>(12)</small>

**Technical personnel**

- Joe Barresi – mixing, additional production
- Nate Yaccino – engineer
- Sam Hofstedt – engineer
- Josh Evans – engineer, studio assistant
- Jay Follette – studio assistant
- Neil Hundt – studio assistant
- Gregg Keplinger – studio assistant
- Jun Murakawa – mixing assistant
- Ted Jensen – mastering
- Josh Graham – album cover sculpture (_The Last Equinox_), album cover photography and design
- Don Vancleave – band photography

### Weekly charts

|Chart (2012)|Peak position|
| --- | --- |
|align="center"|36|

### Year-end charts

|Chart (2013)|Position||
| --- | --- | --- |
|US _Billboard_ 200|style="text-align:center;"|149|
|US Top Rock Albums (_Billboard_)|style="text-align:center;"|35|

## Infobox (album)

- **name**: King Animal
- **type**: studio
- **artist**: Soundgarden
- **border**: yes
- **recorded**: February 2011 – August 2012
- **studio**: * Avast! Recording Company, Avast! (Seattle)
* Studio X (Seattle)
* TNC (Los Angeles)
- **genre**: * Hard rock
* grunge
*
* psychedelic rock
- **length**: 52:01
- **prev title**: Live on I-5
- **prev year**: 2011
- **next title**: Echo of Miles: Scattered Tracks Across the Path
- **next year**: 2014