Soundgarden update: 2011 tour dates announced, new songs on the way

Since Soundgarden announced their two three-gig reunion last year, there's bee a lot of speculation what would happen when the performances were over.

Well, they're not over, because there's more on slate. The rock troupe has announced four new North American tour dates for July, in Toronto, Philadelphia, the Red Rocks in Colorado and Los Angeles, with more on the way. If you don't count the 2010 one-two-three-offs, then this marks the first proper tour from the group in 15 years.

The band has spoken to precious few outlets lately, but have mentioned they've been working on new tunes together.

"It's pretty developed in the writing process," guitarist Kim Thayil told Spinner. "We've been at it since December, January. We're still writing, but we have a number of songs that are complete, a number of songs that are close to being completed and a number of songs that look like they just woke up."

Continuing: "...At our core we're still moved by the things that informed Soundgarden's body of work, which is the sort of dark beauty, heaviness and an aggressiveness without being viscerally old and awkward. There's gonna be a lot that's familiar and similar. There's gonna be stuff that's definitely different; the stuff that's different however will be within the context of those elements that are described earlier."

The Guardian warns, though, that there are certain sounds and certain time limits fans shouldn't expect.

"The last thing we want to make is another grunge or metal record," Thayil told the newspaper. "Everyone wants the album to come out as soon as possible, but at the moment, there's no reason to rush anything."

Perhaps fans can expect a preview of actual sounds to come, at the following shows:

07/02 – Toronto, ON @ Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
07/13 – Philadelphia, PA @ Festival Pier at Penn’s Landing
07/18 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
07/22 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Forum

Katie Hasty
Managing Editor

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After five years as a columnist and editor at Billboard, Katie Hasty joined HitFix in 2009 for music and film reporting out of New York. The Midwest native has worked as a writer, music promoter and in A&R since 1999 and performs with her band Numbers And Letters.