Signing to a major label,
Soundgarden
take a step toward the
metal
mainstream with
Louder Than Love
, a slow, grinding, detuned mountain of
Sabbath
/
Zeppelin
riffs and
Chris Cornell
wailing. The production is quite murky, as the rest of the band tries to poke its way through
Kim Thayil
's guitar squall. There are some essential
items mixed in, among them the haunting
"Hands All Over,"
the punky
"Full on Kevin's Mom,"
and the stereotypically macho
stupidity of
"Big Dumb Sex,"
whose ironic intent is often misconstrued. It's certainly worthwhile to sift through
, but don't expect consistency. ~ Steve Huey