Chris Cornell switches gears, announces Soundgarden reunion

Hardcore Soundgarden fans got a belated Christmas present last week when the group's former vocalist, Chris Cornell, broke the news about the Seattle grunge band's upcoming reunion. "The 12 year break is over & school is back in session," wrote Cornell on a New Year's Eve Twitter post. "Sign up now. Knights of the Soundtable ride again!"

That's awesome news to anyone who's banged their head to Soundgarden tracks like "Outshined" or "Rusty Cage", but it sure doesn't jibe with what the singer was sayin' the last time he chatted with the Straight, in October of 2008. Back then he was about to release Scream, an album produced by superstar rapper Timbaland, which Cornell weirdly described as "like Pink Floyd's The Wall, only now." At that point he didn't view the trading of riff-based hard rock for club-ready hip-hop beats as a risky career move.

"I don't think I'm at a point in my career where anything is really that big of a gamble," he said on the line from San Francisco. "I want to push the boundaries and make new records as though no one has ever heard of me before."

Thank God he's come to his senses in the last 15 months. With Aerosmith on the rocks for who knows how long, what the world needs now is more kick-ass guitar-rock bands.

Rumours of a Soundgarden reunion first started to circulate in March of 2009, when the other members—guitarist Kim Thayil, drummer Matt Cameron (currently with Pearl Jam), and bassist Ben Shepherd—jammed at Seattle's Crocodile Café during a Tom Morello gig. Sitting in on vocals for three Soundgarden tunes was Emerald City grunge veteran Tad Doyle.

No word yet on any concert dates, or whether Vancouver will be included on any tour, so check back here for updates.