SOUNDGARDEN Has 15 Early Songs In The Vault, Says CHRIS CORNELL

According to The Pulse Of Radio, SOUNDGARDEN singer Chris Cornell recently revealed in an interview with the New York Times that there are some 15 songs from the band's earliest days that have yet to be released in any form. Cornell explained, "It was the first 15 we wrote. It was on a cassette that Kim [Thayil, guitarist] always referred to as 'The First 15.'" He added, "We were a band for a couple of years before we really did much (recording) . . . when we would go in to record, we tended to record the newest things we had written, because it was what we were most excited about."

Cornell continued that as a result, some of that earlier material fell by the wayside. He said, "We just got together in our room and started writing songs and did it very quickly. And then we would sit around and discuss what that sounds like, and then over time, I think we would maybe be critical about some of the things we were writing and playing and excited about some of the new stuff we were bringing into the band."

Drummer Matt Cameron told The Pulse Of Radio that the band's approach to making music hasn't changed that dramatically since its early days. "We started out very humbly here in the Northwest and I don't think we've ever really gone too far from those sort of ideals, which were, you know, real do-it-yourself, kind of '80s underground ideals," he said. "And it just feels good to lock up in a room together and write music together and play together that is uniquely our own thing."

After reuniting in 2010, SOUNDGARDEN completed recording earlier this year on its first set of all-new material since 1996's "Down On The Upside". The disc is being prepped for an October release.

The group's new song "Live To Rise" recently topped the Active Rock radio chart. The tune was taken from "Avengers Assemble", the companion soundtrack to the blockbuster movie "The Avengers".