Call it what you want, usually 'grunge' in most circles, but Soundgarden were always too immense to be categorised as anything of the sort. Put Zeppelin alongside Sabbath, throw them in a mixer in it may come out a little like this. 'Ultra Mega Ok' was the bands debut but it was this opus which set the ball rolling for them, and their sound just got bigger on every release. In Chris Cornell they had some voice, a guy who could out wail Robert Plant, over riffs which could take from Sabbath but become dirty in their own fashion.At times the Soundgarden vibe is a mammoth plod, or next a screaming juggernaut out of control, big riffs, big beats and a big heart, 'Ugly Truth' building momentum into a Sabbath-esque lament, whilst 'Hands All Over' remains the album classic, six-minutes of drudgery and bludgeoning ooze which pretty much summed up how the 'grunge' scene sounded, or should have sounded. Personal fave is the brooding 'Gun' , the Zeppish 'Power Trip' and sexed up 'Big Dumb Sex' , which writhes sweatily, leaving you naked in its mighty shadow.
This is huge.
8/10
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