Album Cover Analysis #3: Soundgarden-Superunknown

Soundgarden's Superunknown is an album that's always been part of my life, and a great one at that. Not only is the music an amazing combination of grunge, alternative rock, sludgy doom metal, and psychedelic/stoner rock, but the album cover is one that has always fascinated me. It's all very ominous and even quite freaky. The only thing that's perhaps easily recognizable are the trees reflected in the water at the bottom of the cover. However, the main focus in the picture is certainly what is contained in the complete darkness. What is it? I've always thought what is in the middle looked like some freakish screaming goblin-type thing. I still see that, but now I know that it's a distorted photo of the band members.

The beautiful part of the photograph and what makes it a masterpiece of modern surrealism, is that even once you know what it actually is, it still retains it's mysterious quality. The distorted band photo isn't representational enough to make it clear even after you learn what is, and the contrast between the black and white photo of the darkness-engulfed forest with the bright infrared-looking things in the sky never loses its effect. It certainly fits in with an album with a title like Superunknown, and you can only guess what kind of music will be contained until you listen. 

For the most part, the cover art reflects the music nearly perfectly. While "My Wave" kind of sticks out and doesn't really fit the mood, many of the songs reflect the ominous and brooding quality of the album cover. The songs I think of in particular when I see the cover art are: the apocalyptic "4th of July", the somber gloom of "Head Down" and "Like Suicide", the haunting mellotron of "Mailman", and the roaring yet ominous title track.

Superunknown went on to be Soundgarden's best selling album, and a defining album of the grunge scene. With a cover as attention-catching as this, it's quite easy to see why people would pick it up as a blind buy. You're alive in the Superunknown, and "First it steals your mind, and then it steals your soul."

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What are your thoughts? Feel free to give your input!