Badmotorfinger Songs Ranked

Badmotorfinger is the third studio album by American rock band Soundgarden, released on September 24, 1991, through A&M Records. Soundgarden began the recording sessions for the album with new bassist Ben Shepherd in the spring of 1991. The album maintained the band’s heavy metal sound while featuring an increased focus on songwriting as compared with the band’s previous releases. AllMusic considered the album’s music to be “surprisingly cerebral and arty”; alternative tunings and odd time signatures were present on several of the album’s songs, and lyrics were intended to be ambiguous and create imagery. In 1992, Badmotorfinger was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. The album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1996. Here are all of Badmotorfinger’s songs ranked.

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12. Drawing Flies

 “Drawing Flies” is another fairly short track with disjointed sections that seem like they never work but actually do, and features more music composition from Matt Cameron.”

11. Holy Water

“The last two tracks are absolutely amazing, the rifftastic “Holy Water” with its excellent lyrics and anthemic chorus sounding like it was the inspiration for Silverchairs song “Slave” from their Freak Show album.”

10. Somewhere

“Ben Shepherds songwriting gets a showcase on the fine rock song “Somewhere”, which doesn’t feature the greatest lyrics in the world (screamed over the top of the intro amusingly by Cornell) but musically it’s hardly simplistic despite the fact that it sounds simple without closer observation.”

See more: Soundgarden Albums Ranked

9. Face Pollution

“The lyrics leave a lot to be desired the music contains so many twists and turns that by the end of its two and half minutes you feel a bit dizzy. That doesn’t mean that it’s not suited for banging your head to, in fact it’s completely ideal! But closer inspection to this song explains that Soundgarden were more creative than most of their peers, especially the pounding middle section before Cornell screams the title over and over again through a pounding 5/4 riff.”

8. Mind Riot

“Mind Riot” deviates from the rest of the albums distorted riffage to give the listener a break with its chiming, Indian-sounding guitars and anthemic chorus, definitely a highlight of the album and shows a more psychedelic direction that the band would bring to fruition on its next album Superunknown.”

7. Searching With My Good Eye Closed

“Searching With My Good Eye Closed” brings the band back to more traditional laid-back grunge rock in the main body of the song, after a totally weird introduction with wailing guitars and a voice which sounds like it comes from a childs toy, a fine song if not the highlight of the album.”

6. New Damage

“The album closes with “New Damage” which features more creative riffery, alongside such lyrics as “the wreck is going down/get out before you drown”.

See more: Soundgarden Songs Ranked

5. Room a Thousand Years Wide

“More traditional grunge rock is followed up in the form of “Room A Thousand Years Wide”, one of the few songs to feature lyrics not written by Cornell, with music written by Matt Cameron.”

4. Rusty Cage

“The album starts off with the tight, stinging intro riff to ‘Rusty Cage’, a thoroughly excellent and anthemic rock song with a chorus that’s irrisitable not to shout along to (“I’m going to break my rusty cage and run”, indeed). When the song gives way near the end to a jagged and angular outro section, you begin to realise you’re witnessing creativity of the highest order, especially from a so-called ‘grunge’ act!”

3. Slaves & Bulldozers

“Tempos are slowed down for this song, the brooding “Slaves And Bulldozers” in which Chris Cornell does his best Robert Plant impressions during the chorus. Opening up with Ben Shepherds slow-burning bassline, it’s packed with jagged, angular guitars and it’s nowhere near as anthemic as the previous two songs, although it has moments of insane creativity (such as Kim Thayils vastly atonal guitar solo). Clocking in at 6+ minutes, Soundgarden played this in their sets well up until their demise.”

2. Outshined

“Outshined” featuring a Led Zeppelin-esque riff in 7/4 time and another anthemic chorus. “Outshined” is packed full of interesting melodic hooklines and hard rock attitude, you simply can’t help but bang your head along.”

1. Jesus Christ Pose

“A song written by all members of the band, it features some sterling drum work from Matt Cameron which never wavers from its pounding beat throughout while Kim Thayil and Ben Shepherd thrash out the songs blinding grunge riff. This is the band on excellent form, and a song which even the biggest Soundgarden fanatic would find difficult to get bored of.”