In their first appearance in a music video since the Clinton administration, Soundgarden throw down the groove while The Avengers provide the excitement.

Soundgarden’s ‘Live to Rise’ is their first entirely new song in nearly 16 years. It’s been almost as long since Chris Cornell, Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron and Ben Shepherd have appeared in a music video together. When we last saw the innovative grunge foursome, a short-haired Cornell was being brainwashed to the tune of ‘Blow Up the Outside World,’ while he and the band played in front of a green screen. While much has changed since 1996, there are definitely some that have stayed the same.

Fast-forward to 2012, Chris Cornell’s hair is back to an appropriately grunge-y length and his bandmates are a bit longer in the tooth, but they still pack a powerful sonic punch. Much of the video’s excitement is provided through clips of ‘The Avengers,’ the film for which the song was recorded, while the band plays to a dark empty warehouse. Towards the back end of the Robert-Hales directed clip, the room is filled with a blue energy source and gale-force winds that call to mind another classic Soundgarden clip.

The music video for ‘Live to Rise’ may not be as memorable as their face-melting turn in ‘Black Hole Sun,’ but it’s good to see the band back in action after all these years. The song itself has already made an impact at radio, climbing to No. 3 on the mainstream rock charts in just a few weeks. The track was recorded more recently and is described as more “stripped-down” than those which will appear on the forthcoming Soundgarden album, which has a tentative fall release date.

Watch Soundgarden’s Music Video for ‘Live to Rise’

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