Soundgarden's Chris Cornell. (WENN.COM file photo)

Grunge rockers Soundgarden only decided to reform after their fans mistook a message on Twitter.com for a reunion announcement.

The group's frontman Chris Cornell sparked excitement when he 'Tweeted' early last year, "The 12 year break is over and school is back in session. Knights of the Soundtable ride again!"

The post led fans to believe the band was back together, but the musicians now maintain Cornell only intended to announce the resurrection of their fanclub - as they weren't considering a reunion.

Guitarist Kim Thayil reveals they were overwhelmed by the response to the cryptic message and then decided to regroup.

He tells Britain's Kerrang! magazine, "I spent a lot of time trying to explain to my friends that we weren't back together then! My mother called and said, 'We've heard the news, why didn't you tell us?'

"We had neglected our legacy and our fans, so we were just starting the fan club up again. Of course, that 'Tweet' generated a lot of interest and my phone was ringing off the hook with people offering us shows.

"We turned most of them down, but thought it would be fun to play that show in Seattle (in April, 2010) and eventually Lollapalooza (in August). It was only around then that there was talk about doing some new material."