SOUNDGARDEN To Enter Studio 'In About A Week,' Says CHRIS CORNELL

Reunited grunge legends SOUNDGARDEN will enter a Seattle-area studio in about a week with producer Adam Kasper (who worked on SOUNDGARDEN's last LP, 1996's "Down On The Upside") to begin recording their new album.

The quartet — singer Chris Cornell, guitarist Kim Thayil, drummer Matt Cameron, and bassist Ben Shepherd — plans to spend as long as necessary to "make an album that we all really love," Cornell tells Spin.com. "We don't have a schedule," he adds. "It's not like we are going to go into the studio and come out when we're finished with an album."

"We're putting the music first," Cornell explains. "The process of writing, recording, and being creative together is the most important thing, not meeting a deadline."

After playing only a handful of concerts in 2010 (including an acclaimed appearance at last year's Lollapalooza),the group working on booking more dates for 2011. "We plan on playing shows for sure — that's never been in question," Cornell tells Spin.com. "Then when we have some time again we'll get back into the studio."

According to Cornell, the recording process will be much more laid back this time around, rather than keeping to a strict schedule.

"The main thing that got in the way of us wanting to be in SOUNDGARDEN is that long cycle of write, record, promote, release, tour — then do it all over again," explains Cornell. "It all fit into a schedule and SOUNDGARDEN come completely from indie roots. We were a Do It Yourself band that became part of a bigger picture. But we're being really carefully now to do this on our own time."

"We're doing things at a pace that's comfortable for everybody," Cornell adds.