King Animal [LP]

Soundgarden return after a long hiatus with King Animal, their first album of new material since 1996's Down on the Upside 16 years previously. The influential band finds itself returning to a musical landscape that its blend of melody and heaviness has left an indelible mark on, and with an album produced by Queens of the Stone Age and Foo Fighters producer Adam Kasper, the group will have yet another opportunity to leave its mark. While the album isn't set for release until the fourth quarter of 2012, fans can already get a sneak peak via the album's driving debut single, "Been Away Too Long."