Somewhere in the Pacific northwest a new supergroup formed this year, including Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic, Pearl Jam/Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron and Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil.
The same day the group confirmed the new project, 3rd Secret, it also dropped its self-titled debut album.
The band also includes Void guitarist Bubba Dupree and singers Jennifer Johnson and Jillian Raye, the latter of whom is also Novoselic's bandmate in Giants in the Trees.
Little has been revealed so far about 3rd Secret, though the album credits suggest Novoselic, Cameron and Raye (who is listed as 'Weiss') are the group's chief songwriters.
The album 3rd Secret opens with a gorgeous acoustic folk ballad called "Rhythm of the Ride." The rest of the band is introduced in earnest on the second track, "I Choose Me," which arrives in full-on psychedelic sludge metal ecstasy.
The record proceeds in a similar fashion, alternating lighter, melodic songs with heavier tracks that showcase the band's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame rhythm section.
A "news bulletin" on the band's website explains that Novoselic got the idea to enlist Thayil and Dupree after rediscovering an old jam session on tape that they made together back in 2001.
Novoselic, who notes that he could have easily discarded that tape among other clutter he was getting rid of, shared the tape with Thayil and Dupree. In 2021, the three decided to try and finish some of the music on the tape; it just so happened that Cameron was available to join the sessions.
By late last year, Novoselic had accumulated so much material with Thayil, Dupree, Cameron and Raye that they decided to incorporate 3rd Secret, a band they've described as "a prequel to another release from this super group of musicians."
A future record could be polished off this summer.