For many people when it comes to Soundgarden, most will say their favorite album is either Badmotorfinger or Superunknown. While both are phenomenal and chock full of great and classic songs, I’ve always felt personally that Soundgarden’s best album is Down On The Upside.

Down On The Upside is an absolutely brilliant and underrated album. When it was released on May 21, 1996, a new approach and experimental sound was introduced with a very raw production that truly felt more haunting and atmospheric. Musically this album explored new territory that further expanded their odd time signatures. The more raw approach to the song structures and production really shines through the lyrics, melodies, vocals, and music. One of the more interesting parts of this album is most of it was written by Chris Cornell and bassist Ben Shepherd.

Across sixteen songs, you get a wide array of songs. Ben Shepherd has said that Down On The Upside is “the most accurate picture of what Soundgarden actually sounds like”, stating: “It’s way more raw. It’s way more honest. It’s way more ‘responsible.'” The raw is very prevalent in the way the songs sound and hit you. Instead of a more sheen/polish on the sound, you really get to come to terms with the absolute pain and truth in Chris Cornell. In a fun way Down On The Upside has a very latter Led Zeppelin era feeling to it.

Each song on the album has a place. At first listen there are a couple songs that feel like filler but, the more you listen to the record, you realized these songs are placed on purpose. From the start of the album with “Pretty Noose” all the way to “Boot Camp” there are twists and turns along with peaks and valley’s that give you a more introspective trip into the mind of Chris Cornell at the time. So many great songs are on this album like “Burden In My Hand,” “Blow Up The Outside World,” “Rhinosaur,” “Ty Cobb,” “Never The Machine Forever,” “Dusty,” “Zero Chance,” and one of my all time favorite Soundgarden songs, “Overfloater.”

For over an hour, Down On The Upside swings you like a pendulum of emotions, waves of heaviness, and delicate notes that makes this album a real treat. It’s interesting that when released, this album was met with mixed reviews. Now thirty years later it’s regarded as one of the best albums of the 90’s. Polarizing albums like Down On The Upside take time to get into. Once you do though, it will become a favorite in the Soundgarden catalog.

Soundgarden- Down On The Upside: