Badmotorfinger

A few years after becoming a metal fan, it’s always interesting to take a look at the stuff you used to listen to before discovering the wonders of the superior musical genre that is metal (and becoming a lazy-minded elitist, if you aren’t careful enough). There are artists I’m now ashamed of proclaiming high and low I was a fan of (The Offspring, Nirvana and other abject, untalented garbage). There are also others that simply fell from grace for whatever reason (Oasis, Aerosmith, Pearl Jam). However, there are those bands I’ll always have a soft spot for, and Soundgarden are one of them. From time to time I still put one of their albums to evoke that comforting, nostalgic feel associated with the good times I had listening to them. It happens with other bands (Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Verve, Jane’s Addiction) but my tie with Soungdarden seems to be stronger, so I decided to take a look at my favorite albums by them, “Badmotorfinger”.

There’s a good reason I haven’t grown tired of them. SG were indeed something else at what they did, although they aren’t extremely consistent. All of their albums have moments of true brilliance, mixed with subpar material. Badmotorfinger suffers from the same problem, but some of the songs are incredible, oozing talent and great ideas (Kim Thayil is a great underrated guitarist, capable of writing some intriguing riffs and Chris Cornell laughs at most mainstream AND a lot of heavy metal vocalists even after all of these years). So, let’s get rid of the swill before anything else. “Somewhere” and “Drawing Flies” are SG at their most typical and harmless, embracing hard rock mannerisms we all know by heart. “Room a Thousand Years Wide” is just tedious, as are “Holy Water” and “New Damage”. All of these songs could be scrapped out of the album and I’m sure no one would miss them. However, the first half is where brilliance lives.

Soundgarden, as everyone knows, flirted a lot with heavy metal, drawing many influences from Black Sabbath. The first two songs are where their blend of alternative rock and metal is at their most prolific in this album. “Rusty Cage” is a very vibrant, compelling song, carried by fast drumming and a pretty cool riff, played with a strangely “thin” guitar tone that still has power to take you for a tense ride to that swamp of a section (the famous “Black Sabbath breakdown”), sludgy, heavy and with an incongruous, delightful riff. “Outshined” is another songwriting highlight. More midpaced, this song puts Chris Cornell’s feelings to music with competence. If “Rusty Cage” is anxious, “Outshined” is sadly serene. The song rumbles along plaintively, with Chris’ lyrics narrating his everyday pains until a very simple and beautiful lead soars. This very lead sounds like resignation itself, just like when a friend of yours pats you in the back in solidarity as you take a deep breath and mumble “it’s ok”, knowing that nothing will change for the better too soon. This piece has great vocals and a powerful climax. I really like to sing this song. Hell, I wish I could sing like Chris Cornell.

“Slaves and Bulldozers” is completely different from the previous tracks. The concept here is anger. With its lyrics dealing with some kind of uneven relationship, this song conveys pure oppression. Centered on sheer heaviness, crushing slow tempo, and dissonance, this song has also a legendary performance by Chris Cornell, with some of the most implacable, ear-piercing screams I’ve ever heard. The vocal lines are also awesome. You just can’t help but screaming along to:

“Virgin eyes and dirty looks
On what I have and why I took.
Counting all the hands I shook
Now I know why you've been shaking
NOW I KNOW WHY YOU'VE BEEN SHAKING!”

This song borders on physical aggression. No melody here. One of the fiercest songs I’ve ever heard. But probably, the most relentless motherfucker in this album is the classic “Jesus Christ Pose”, even if it doesn’t start like that. Here, Soundgarden shows their extensive mastery on how to create powerful build-ups and climaxes. The initial riffs are bassy, percussive… and menacingly timid. The preparation for the chorus is meticulous (has also some insane screams), and when it kicks in for the second and the third time, the song just explodes. You also got to love Chris’ captivatingly malevolent lyrics: “it wouldn’t pain me more to bury you rich… than to bury you POOR!” “Jesus Christ Pose” is the epitome of evilness. It injects you with fear and then finishes you off. In true heavy metal fashion.

The other tracks, albeit not legendary, are very good in their own right. “Face Pollution” is a brief, angular heavy metal assault that is extremely catchy, fast (*drum roll* FACE PO–LU–TION!! *drum roll* FACE PO–LU–TION!!), and has a lot energy. “Searching With My Good Eye Closed” is generally shat on because of the silly intro, but I like that song a lot. Its 4:30am, dawn-like atmosphere reminds me of “The Day I Tried to Live”, off of Superunknown and probably their best song, IMO. “Mind Riot” is completely different. It relies on cleaner guitars, beautiful melodies and appropriate production to convey an organic, almost pastoral mood. It’s good to see this less-conventional facet getting more developed, and with great results. It’s pretty nice song, almost a hidden gem.

Badmotorfinger has some disposable tracks but when it’s good, it borders on legendary. In fact, “Jesus Christ Pose” truly is. If this album had “The Day I Tried to Live” instead of “Somewhere” or “Room a Thousand Years Wide”, it would’ve been even more awesome. However, this album is purpose and feeling put to music, and this is what artists should aspire to make.