“It would be a great gift to the fans, and I don’t know how strange this sounds, but I feel like it’s a gift to Chris too”: Soundgarden's Kim Thayil gives an update on whether unreleased band material featuring Chris Cornell will see the light of day

Kim Thayil and Chris Cornell of American rock group Soundgarden perform live on stage during the first day of Hard Rock Calling, at Hyde Park on July 13, 2012 in London, England.

Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil has spoken out about potential plans to release the band's final album with late frontman Chris Cornell – which, for years, was left in a state of limbo following multiple lawsuits.

When asked by Rolling Stone whether fans can expect to finally get their hands on the record, Thayil responded, “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 [want] to attend to my work, but the collective work, and in this case specifically, the work of Chris.”

Thayil asserted that he has immense pride in what he’s done, and as a result, wants to see the album out.

“It doesn’t exist in the vacuum. It exists as a collaboration with Matt [Cameron, drummer] and Ben [Shepherd, bassist] 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 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,” he concluded.

Vicky Cornell, Chris Cornell’s widow, first sued the remaining members of Soundgarden in federal court in 2019 over recordings that she and her team alleged Cornell had made as part of a solo project – but which the band insisted were created as part of their partnership with him.

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The seven disputed recordings were made by Cornell in his Miami Beach studio months before his death in May 2017. The lawsuit also alleged that the band was withholding hundreds of thousands of dollars in royalties from Vicky Cornell and the couple’s children. It was eventually settled via an amicable out-of-court resolution.

Despite being eligible for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2012, Soundgarden finally made the cut this year, alongside the White Stripes, Bad Company, and Carol Kaye, among many others.