Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	70/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Alternative Press
Artistdirect
BBC Music	(favorable)
Drowned in Sound	7/10
The Guardian
Pitchfork Media	5.9/10
The Phoenix
Rolling Stone
The New York Times	(favorable)

King Animal is the sixth studio album by American rock band Soundgarden. The album was released on November 13, 2012, by Seven Four Entertainment and Republic Records in the United States and Vertigo Records in the rest of the world. Produced by both the band and Adam Kasper, the album is the band's first in sixteen years, and the first not to be released on A&M Records since 1988's Ultramega OK. However, Republic, Vertigo and A&M are all owned by Universal Music Group.

On January 2010, Chris Cornell announced Soundgarden had reunited, 13 years following their break-up. At first the band was just interested in relearning the old songs and playing them live, but Cornell declared that “It would be exciting to record one song, to hear how Soundgarden-ish that might be this much time later." In February 2011 it was announced on Soundgarden's homepage that they had started writing new songs. One month later, the recording sessions begun at Seattle's Studio X, under producer Adam Kasper. Sessions would be interrupted by the end of the month so Cornell could move onto his solo "Songbook" tour, which would be interspersed with Soundgarden concerts. Given the band's contract with A&M Records was fulfilled by releasing compilation Telephantasm and live album Live on I-5, Soundgarden produced the album independently.

Although Cameron claimed the album would be released in 2011, the recording was prolonged as guitarist Kim Thayil said that "the more we enjoy it, the more our fans should end up enjoying it." On October, Cornell stated the band would return to the studio in December, as the album was "mostly done, we just need to finish a couple of songs and mix it, so that will be happening probably over the holidays."

In May 2012, the band reported that they were eyeing a release that October. On September 17, 2012, it was announced that the album would be titled, King Animal and would be released on November 13, 2012. Explaining the title King Animal, Cornell declared that it relates to how the how band "were a big fish in a small pond, and we sort of graduated. There was a sense of us feeling like it was us four against the world. We clearly had that from the very beginning. In some weird way after all this time, we persevered. The album kind of stands out as a symbol and an indication of that."

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