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
Soundgarden items mixed in, among them the haunting "Hands All Over," the punky "Full on Kevin's Mom," and the stereotypically macho metal stupidity of "Big Dumb Sex," whose ironic intent is often misconstrued. It's certainly worthwhile to sift through
Louder Than Love, but don't expect consistency. ~ Steve Huey