Soundgarden have roared back into the rock world with a vengeance. Not only will the band release a new album later this year, but the grunge goliaths recently hit fans with their first 100-percent new song in 16 years, ‘Live to Rise.’ Now, the track off the ‘Avengers Assemble’ compilation has taken over the No. 1 spot on the Active Rock airplay chart.

Although ‘Black Rain’ and ‘The Telephantasm’ were both new songs to listeners when they were released on the 2010 compilation album, ‘Telephantasm,’ the tracks were first recorded in 1991 and 1987, respectively. ‘Live to Rise’ proves that Soundgarden still have what it takes to write good music in the studio, even though the band has stated that the track does not necessarily reflect the sound of their upcoming album.

Chris Cornell recently spoke about the upcoming disc with Seattle radio station KISW. “Some of the songs on our new album are pretty far left of center, and sort of zero in on more of a hardcore Soundgarden fan and not necessarily a family that goes to see a film like that,” says Cornell. “Although ['Live to Rise' is] not really what I think of as a necessarily family friendly song, but it’s as close as we’ve ever come.”

As ‘The Avengers’ soared to the top of the box office, ‘Live to Rise’ went right up with it as the track hit the No. 1 spot on its sixth week climbing the Active Rock chart. This tune takes over the top spot from Halestorm‘s ‘Love Bites (So Do I),’ which last week made history as the first song to hit No. 1 on the tally by a female-fronted rock band.

The as-yet-untitled new Soundgarden album is expected to be released in October 2012.

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