According to HITS' industry insider I.B. Bad, reformed grunge legends SOUNDGARDEN is in the process of signing with Universal Music Group in a worldwide deal put together by Max Hole, chief operating officer of UMGI (international division of Universal Music Group), and Lucian Grainge, UMG's chairman and chief executive officer. In the U.S., the first album under the agreement will be on former Warner Bros. Records Chairman/CEO Tom Whalley's Seven Four Ent. imprint through Universal Republic Records.

Although a release date for SOUNDGARDEN's sixth full-length studio album and first in 16 years, "King Animal", has not been officially confirmed, Rolling Stone recently reported it as November 13.

The band launched a web site and teaser video for the disc, which includes an excerpt from a song called "Worse Dreams". Aside from the track "Live To Rise", which appeared on the soundtrack to "The Avengers", this is the first new music heard from the band since 1996's "Down On The Upside" album.

Drummer Matt Cameron told The Pulse Of Radio it wasn't long after the band reunited in 2010 that they realized they wanted to make a new album. "When we got together in a room to rehearse for some shows and write some new music, we felt re-energized and we felt like we still had something to say musically," he said. "Who knows if we'll have the same type of impact, but I think what's super-important for us is that we really like playing this type of music together, and we know that we still have a core fan base out there that is excited to hear what we have to offer."

Guitarist Kim Thayil told Rolling Stone that the new record "re-establishes that we still rock, we're still heavy, and we're still a little weird."

(Thanks: Carl Alvarez)