October 1, 1987 - Soundgarden and Screaming Life

Just two days after my last release, a new band joins my library when Soundgarden released their debut EP "Screaming Life" on October 1, 1987. But who are Soundgarden? They were a 4-piece rock band from Seattle, Washington and they are the first band in my library to play a new style of rock called grunge that developed mostly in the Seattle area. They consist of lead singer Chris Cornell, guitarist Kim Thayil, bassist Hiro Yamamoto and drummer Matt Cameron and this EP is a great example of early grunge with dirty guitars and low bass. Let's check it out!

The EP kicks off with it's lone single "Hunted Down" and we hear what sounds like a plane taking off/landing at the start as a nice low bass riff by Yamamoto plays in the background. It gradually gets louder and Thayil plays a similarly low guitar riff that makes for a nice grunge main riff. We hear Cornell's voice for the first time as he begins the first verse and he has a pretty epic and great voice! He sings in a nice lower voice for the most part but he shows that when he wants to he can also hit some pretty high notes. He leads this solid main riff and similar chorus and after he finishes the chorus Thayil delivers some very distorted guitar that would become synonymous with grunge: some might think it just sounds like guitar feedback, bit it's a controlled distortion that sounds pretty crazy while still following the rhythm of the song. It's back to the main riff and after another verse and chorus Cornell proceeds to yell "right now" over and over and his voice is going very high, very easily by the end of things. Cameron plays some cool drums in this closing part as well, but the song starts to fade away before this new part gets really started. A decent little song but it seems a very odd choice for the single. Up next is "Entering" and Cameron starts things off with a nice quiet drumbeat before Thayil takes over with some very slow, droning guitar. This slow opening lasts nearly a minute until the guitar and drums speed up and Cornell begins to sing the first verse. It's a nice fast-paced main riff and Cornell sounds great as he slowly sings overtop, going up and down with his voice, able to hit any note it seems. It seems we've reached the chorus when he starts singing the name of the song over and over and afterwards they slow things down and revisit the opening riff before nicely speeding up again for the next verse and chorus. They quiet things down once again and Cornell mumbles some difficult to hear words overtop the slow droning guitar until he let's out a pretty good "oh yeah" as they ramp nicely back into the speedy main riff. Before another chorus Thayil delivers a short and simple guitar solo that sounds pretty good and then they play a final chorus to finish it off. Track 3 is only two minutes long, titled "Tears To Forget" and they kick right into things with a nice fast-paced riff with Yamamoto playing some low bass and Thayil leading the way with some cool fast guitar. Cornell is really yelling with some gusto on this song and I love that his voice sounds very raw and guttural as he screams along to the fast main riff. They never stray from this cool main riff as they just jam through a handful of verses until this short song is over. The next song is called "Nothing To Say" and Cameron, Yamamoto and Thayil do a great job of forming another slow and trudging grunge riff. Every note sounds really low and I love this style of guitar and bass that slowly chugs along, sounding nice and heavy. Thayil switches to some higher guitar for the verse as Cornell sings in a wonderful high voice as he nicely ebbs and flows with the music. He sings the name of the song in the verse as well as the chorus and the heavy opening riff turns out to be a nice chorus riff with Cameron adding some nice drum fills before they segue back to another verse. After another verse and chorus they jam out the heavy chorus riff as Cornell does some nice yells of "nothing!" and Cameron adds some more great drums. They gradually slow things down to finish the song until it comes to a grinding and screeching halt. Track 5 is called "Little Joe" and Cameron starts it off with a nice drum beat before Yamamoto and Thayil join in with some nice light stuff that sounds much more commercial than the other songs but still solid. Thayil plays some catchy and cool guitar but it drops out completely for the verse which is just bass, drums and vocals. Cornell sings a nice high verse that mixes really well with the low bass and after the verse Thayil returns with the same catchy guitar riff. They repeat the formula and play another guitar-less verse but after another short bit from Thayil the guitar stays in the background of the third verse. It's not doing much until the verse ends, then Thayil takes off for a guitar solo that is really really quiet. His guitar is way quieter than the bass and the drums, which is certainly a weird decision, but if you listen closely you can still hear Thayil playing some pretty good guitar. This part goes on for over a minute and takes us to the end of the song and I just don't get why Thayil's guitar wasn't cranked up, because the guitar was really cool! This EP ends with it's sixth song "Hand Of God" and Thayil plays some nice distorted guitar to begin while we hear what sounds like a priest/preacher talking overtop. I'm not sure if this is Cornell or somebody else but they deliver a short sermon before the rhythm section joins in and the guitar takes the spotlight. Thayil plays some cool guitar as they establish the main riff and it calms down just a tad as Cornell comes in to sing a solid verse. After the verse they switch to a new part with some more talking and Yamamoto sets the stage with some low bass for a real guitar solo. Thayil is front and center this time and he delivers a pretty crazy awesome solo! He shows off his talents on this one with lots of great guitar and the end ties right back into the main riff. They follow the same formula with a cool verse, a strange talking part that I'm not a fan of, and then end the song with another Thayil guitar solo. Once again he plays some great stuff and aside from the weird preach-y parts this was a great way to end this EP.

That is the end of "Screaming Life" and I thought it was an interesting debut EP from Soundgarden. I love the grunge-y slow riffs and all four members of the band seem to be great at what they do. Chris Cornell is a one of a kind vocalist whi is still a little rough around the edges, but has an incredible range and voice no doubt. I liked all these songs and am excited to hear a full album from these guys soon!