Soundgarden Last Album Overview
Soundgarden's final studio album is "King Animal," released on November 13, 2012, through A&M Records, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. The album marked the band's return after a 16-year hiatus and features the original lineup. It was the last full-length studio release before the death of frontman Chris Cornell in May 2017. The project was produced by the band alongside Adam Kasper, who also worked on earlier Soundgarden records.
"King Animal" debuted at number five on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States and reached number six on the UK Albums Chart. In its first week, the album sold approximately 86,000 copies in the U.S. The record earned a Metacritic score of 72 based on 34 reviews, indicating generally favorable reception. The album's lead single, "Been Away Too Long," charted on the Billboard Rock Airplay and Alternative Songs charts.
Tracklist and Commercial Performance
The standard edition of "King Animal" contains 13 tracks with a total runtime of approximately 58 minutes. Key tracks include "By Crooked Steps," "Blow Up the Outside World," and "Halfway There." The album was also released as a deluxe edition with bonus tracks and vinyl variants. It is available on major streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music.
As of the latest public data, "King Animal" has moved over 250,000 equivalent units in the U.S. according to Luminate, formerly Nielsen Music. The album remains Soundgarden's highest-charting release since "Superunknown" in 1994. It continues to generate steady streaming numbers, with over 1 billion cumulative streams across platforms as reported by chart data aggregators. The album's catalog is managed by Universal Music Group and distributed globally through standard retail and digital channels.
Legacy and Industry Context
Soundgarden is considered a foundational act in the 1990s Seattle grunge movement alongside Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Alice in Chains. The band's discography includes six studio albums, with "King Animal" serving as the final new material before Chris Cornell's death. The album's production involved A&M Records, which operates under the Universal Music Group umbrella, one of the three major record labels globally.
The music industry has continued to recognize Soundgarden's influence through streaming data and catalog sales. "King Animal" is part of the broader catalog managed by A&M Records, a label originally founded by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss and now integrated into Universal Music Group's structure. For financial details on the major label group handling the catalog, see the latest annual report from Universal Music Group via Forbes. Additional context on the band's history and chart data can be found on Billboard.