'90s grunge-metallers Soundgarden will reunite in 2010, according to singer and terrible solo artist Chris Cornell.

On New Year's day, Cornell posted (somewhat cringe-worthily) on his twitter: The 12 year break is over & school is back in session. Sign up now. Knights of the Soundtable ride again! He then posted a link to www.soundgardenworld.com, where one can add in their name, email and phone number to receive updates on the reunion. (Via Billboard)

Soundgarden were one of the big three Grunge-era bands to break through into the mainstream in the early '90s. The heavier cousin to Nirvana and Pearl Jam, the band were perhaps the truest in sound to the original grunge ethos, aka "Slowed down Sabbath riffs". Throw in the high-pitched yelp of singer Chris Cornell, the mathy drums of Matt Cameron and that D-tuned metal sludge courtesy of guitarist Kim Thayil and bassist Ben Shephard, and you have the basic prototype for the next wave of post-grunge bands that would litter bargain box bins for much of the '90s.


Soundgarden - 'Jesus Christ Pose' live in 1992
 
While it was their 1991 album Badmotorfinger that won them legions of fans via (still) killer tracks like 'Jesus Christ Pose' and 'Outshined', it was the band's 1994 follow up Superunknown that finally broke them into the big time, via 'Spoonman' and their hit single 'Black Hole Sun'. The album went on to win a Grammy Award and sell over five million copies in America alone, cementing them as one of the most successful bands of the era. The band played in Australia several times, including two appearances at the Big Day Out.


Soundgarden - 'Black Hole Sun'

The band's troubled recording sessions for follow-up Down on the Upside (1996) and subsequent difficult tour led to their break-up in 1997. Cornell set off on a dubious solo career, as well as a stint with (then) ex-Rage Against The Machine members in the awful Audioslave, while drummer Matt Cameron nearly immediately joined Pearl Jam. Where he remains to this day.

It's not clear how Cameron's involvement with Pearl Jam, who already have multiple dates locked in for 2010, will affect the reunion. As Cameron told a NZ paper only recently, "The last thing on my mind is getting a band back together."

Hmm. 2010. The return of grunge?