In a new interview with Rolling Stone, SOUNDGARDEN guitarist Kim Thayil spoke about the status of the recordings made before vocalist Chris Cornell‘s death in May of 2017. Asked if he thinks the SOUNDGARDEN record that Chris was working on with the other members of the band when he passed away will ever be released, Kim said: “I think so. Our objective and goal was always to complete that. I probably have OCD enough to not want to leave something unfinished or incomplete like that, so I think the more we can attend to our body of work and our catalog…I think everyone in the band feels that way. I don’t just to attend to my work, but the collective work, and in this case specifically, the work of Chris.”

Thayil continued: “I have pride for what I did and I want to see that come out. It doesn’t exist in the vacuum. It exists as a collaboration with Matt [Cameron, drums] and Ben [Shepherd, bass] and Chris, but it takes on an entirely different weight when you think about what it is you’re honoring, and the work that you’re paying tribute to. It is us collectively. We want to do it proud. And that part of us is certainly one of the most intimate components of what SOUNDGARDEN has been since 1984.”

He added: “It would be a great gift to the fans. And I do think about this, and I don’t know how strange this sounds, but I feel like it’s a gift to Chris too.”

SOUNDGARDEN will join the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame class of 2025 in the Performer category. The Seattle grunge legends were first nominated for the Rock Hall in 2020, and were on the ballot again in 2023 before finally being chosen for induction this year.

Thayil, Cameron, Cornell and Shepherd are being included in the induction, as is original bassist Hiro Yamamoto, who was with SOUNDGARDEN from 1984 to 1989 and played on the band’s first two EPs and first two albums.