Bassist Ben Shepherd replaced Jason Everman and the new lineup recorded Soundgarden's third album in 1991. Cornell said that Shepherd brought a "fresh and creative" approach to the recording sessions, and the band as a whole said that his knowledge of music and writing skills redefined the band. The band released the resulting album, "Badmotorfinger", on September 24, 1991. Steve Huey of AllMmusic said that the songwriting on "Badmotorfinger" "takes a quantum leap in focus and consistency". He added, "It's surprisingly cerebral and arty music for a band courting mainstream metal audiences." Thayil suggested that the album's lyrics are "like reading a novel man's conflict with himself and society, or the government, or his family, or the economy, or anything". The first single from "Badmotorfinger", "Jesus Christ Pose", garnered attention when MTV decided to ban its music video in 1991. The song and its video outraged many listeners who perceived it as anti-Christian. The band received death threats while on tour in the United Kingdom in support of the album. Cornell explained that the lyrics criticize public figures who use religion (particularly the image of Jesus Christ) to portray themselves as being persecuted. Although eclipsed at the time of its release by the sudden popularity of Nirvana's "Nevermind", the focus of attention brought by "Nevermind" to the Seattle scene helped Soundgarden gain wider attention. The singles "Outshined" and "Rusty Cage" were able to find an audience on alternative rock radio and MTV. "Badmotorfinger" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 1992, and was among the 100 top-selling albums of the year.