SOUNDGARDEN Singer: 'We're Not Like Anybody Else. We Can't Be Imitated.'

In a brand new interview with The Sun, singer Chris Cornell of reunited grunge legends SOUNDGARDEN spoke about the band's much-anticipated new album, which is tentatively due in October.

"This album is every bit as vital as anything we've ever done," he said. "It's not in any way nostalgic, it's not a throwback. It's new music available to a new rock audience, and the ultimate of what we could have achieved in trying to reach a new generation of rock fans is to give them something that's theirs."

Regarding the songwriting process for the new CD, Cornell said, "Back in the Nineties we spent very little time concerning ourselves with our demographic and trying to figure out what our audience wanted. We always did it one song at a time with all four band members contributing music, which created a lot of different feels. Our new album is the same thing. We never once discussed what kind of record we should make. We never have."

On the topic of SOUNDGARDEN's fourteen-year dormancy and what impact it's had on the band's creative bond, Cornell said, "It was just like we'd been on a short break. There is that fear that time has changed our ability to interact or to be creative as a unit, so it was really exciting to see that wasn't the case. After all this time, we can still do what we do so effortlessly."

When asled about what set SOUNDGARDEN apart from stadium-filling Seattle bands like NIRVANA and PEARL JAM, Cornell said, "The one way we stood out is that we weren't one of those bands that was easy to get. I think every band from the Seattle scene was pretty easy to figure out. But we were extremely diverse and we could do it authentically, which is not easy to do. I think the one thing that's been overlooked is that we covered a lot of territory. In terms of an overwhelming commercial acceptance, that hurts you. But in terms of longevity and having a lasting impact that's legitimately culturally important, it helps you. We stand alone outside of genres. We're not like anybody else. We can't be imitated."