"Live to Rise" was the first Soundgarden song to be both fully recorded and released since the band reformed in 2010, as "Black Rain" was partly recorded in the early 1990s.[2] The single has been described as a "riff-heavy rocker" that, according to singer Chris Cornell, would "work just fine" on the band's then-upcoming album King Animal, even though it did not necessarily represent the entire album's sound.[3] Despite earlier speculation, "Live to Rise" did not appear on King Animal.[4] In 2014 the track was released as part of the 3-CD compilation album Echo of Miles: Scattered Tracks Across the Path.[5]
USA Today's review of the Avengers Assemble soundtrack declares "Live to Rise" "is The Incredible Hulk on this all-star soundtrack for the all-star superhero movie The Avengers."[12]
