Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell thinks rock has "lost its place." The singer and guitarist puts the decline of rock down to a lack of exposure in mainstream media in favor of other genres.

"It's definitely lost its place at the center of the musical universe. When I was growing up in the late Seventies, everyone could identify the five or 10 bands that formed the center. Even if you preferred the fringe - The Clash, over, say, Van Halen - you still knew what the center was. Now kids turn on the radio and hear Eminem or Kanye West, so that's what they gravitate towards."

Chris also pointed to the way technology has fragmented people's attention, and changed the way many people set about making music, on mobile devices and laptops which often come pre-loaded with production software geared more towards making electronic music: "They're making music on iPhones. Everything's fractured. The reason there's no modern-day Shakespeare is because he didn't have anything to do except sit in a room with a candle and think."

Soundgarden are currently working on their first album since 1996's, but have unveiled their first new track, "Live to Rise," which is taken from the soundtrack of new film The Avengers. The band will play across Europe this summer, including headlining the UK's Hard Rock Calling festival in Hyde Park on July 13.