“I’ve been away for too long,” growls Chris Cornell on Soundgarden’s 2012 album King Animal. It’s certainly been too long since Soundgarden has visited the Gateway to the West. Sure, Cornell has been here a few times with Audioslave, as well as on his own, but Soundgarden? Freaking full-on Soundgarden? That hasn’t happened since flannel shirts and hair dyed with Kool-Aid fell off the fashion radar. The band had called it quits in 1997, but as happens with many bands of a certain age, Soundgarden gave the reunion idea a go, and it’s paid off. King Animal is a hell of a comeback album, full of the band’s distinctive howl but with an edge that feels more mature. Soundgarden has played a few one-off shows and festivals since reuniting in 2010, but seeing the boys at the relatively small Pageant will be a sonic treat.
