Audioslave Album: “Audioslave”

When I first heard Cornell hooking up with the Rage Band, I as well had my doubts - But they were all proven wrong, this CD is amazing. Chris Cornell's voice/singing brings class back into rock. The members of the band show there true colors, now swaying away from that monotone "Fight the System" style they had when Zack was headman - Tom Morello, Timmy C, and Brad Wilks finally show that they can put out classical rock beats.

Tom Morello -. He keeps his signature guitar sound, which I absolutely love about Morello - He has the "distinct" guitar sound that differs from everything you hear on the radio. And along with that, he brings back his creative, well-slapped together solos that I have been missing since Rage departed.

There are a few songs on this album that stood out quite well to me, and are my personal favorites. "Hypnotize" was quite a shocker to me, the techno style drumming by Brad is really awesome, and Tom and Tim put together a nice flowing style to complement it, and Cornell's voice kind of gives off a eerie feeling. "Like a Stone" I'm sure is the favorite for SoundGarden fans - This song reminds me of SoundGarden, just with the Rage tone; but I really like it, the solo is also very cool. "Exploder" is a hard-hitting track that I really love. "Cochise", the hit-single is just a constant headbanging song. "Gasoline" and "Show Me How to Live" give out the head-nodding beats that make you wanna sing along. "Getaway Car" "The Last Remaining Light" "I Am the Highway" are the slow, more paced out songs, but they are wonderful for just relaxing in your room. Chris sings beautifully on these 3 tracks (if you didn't like his voice in Cochise, then give these 3 songs a try). Timmy C does a flat-out awesome bass line in "Shadow on the Sun" which probably is my #1 favorite track on this whole CD. "Light my Way" reminds me of the 80's for some reason, perhaps it's just the way Cornell sings that chorus, but this song is sweet - The chorus is addicting and reminds me of "Bulls on Parade". "Set if Off" has grown on me, it didn't have much appeal at first, but the more I listen to it the more I gain an appreciation for it, especially the intro, which is just classical Tom. "What you Are" is extremely radio friendly, wouldn't be surprised if this is the second single the radio plays. "Bring Em Back Alive" is an interesting song - The intro is very smooth, the chorus is nice, but I think Tom overdid it with the Amp Feedback on the solo; that and the voice effects on Chris didn't seem to do it for me. Other then those two things, the song is actually very good, and is growing on me.

Rating for entire CD: 9/10 - Lots of variety; blows away a lot of the 'garbage' on the radio today. It's hard to determine where 'exactly' to place this CD, it's certainly better then anything Papa Roach, Linkin Park, POD, Disturbed, etc. will ever put out. I would probably place this CD in the same category that Incubus or System of a Down is in; its not "revolutionary" but certainly the best darn album I have heard this year - If you are like me, and thought this year was a disappointing year for Rock, heh, this album fixes that. This band is definitely here to stay, and will also put on a great live show, considering every sound you hear on this CD is done with guitar, drum, bass, and vocals - No samples, no keyboards. I'm sure RATM fans are aware of that already.

Audioslave's debut album proves that great rock music is still alive. I don't understand how one reviewer said that this album is "Excellent, but disappointing" -- those 2 words just don't go together -- and also the complaints that this album sounds like "yet another grunge retread" and that "it doesn't live up to expectations" -- Give me a break! This CD not only lives up to my expectations, but far exceeds them. I had already heard the first two singles "Show Me How To Live" and "Like a Stone", and loved them, but thought that the rest of the album would probably sound like any other repetitive rock album. After hearing the great 3rd single "I Am the Highway", i finally bought the album. And I was completely wrong about any negative assumptions i had made! There really isn't one bad song on the entire CD. Each and every track has great vocals from Chris Cornell and superb guitar work and instrument sounds supplied by the rest of the band. But I think the album should have ended with "Getaway Car" because it would have been the perfect ending to a phenomenal CD. That song is mellow yet extremely passionate, i love it! I cannot wait to hear Audioslave's next album because i can only invision them getting better and better. If you don't already own this album, go buy it NOW!

Tribal drums. Thunderous bass. Crushing riffs. Primal screams. And this is only the first track. "Cochise", the first single from Audioslave's self-titled debut album, kicks the album off in a fury of guitars, drums, and vocals not heard since the days of greats like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. The standard set by this ferocious opening track is raised higher the further one gets into this album. Featuring a plethora of muical styles, it appears that this most unlikely musical combo has gelled into a powerful new entity. Audioslave takes hard rock to new limits, showcasing singer Chris Cornell's(Soundgarden) soaring vocal lines over killer grooves and monster riffs laid down by Tom Morello, Brad Wilk, and Tim Commerford, formerly of Rage Against the Machine. Songs like "Show Me How to Live", "Gasoline", and "Exploder" are exactly what you were expecting to hear from this group. These songs are equal parts RATM and Soundgarden. That is definately not a complaint. However, the real highlight to this album is not the balls-to-the-walls rockers, but the soulful, insightful ballads, most notably "Getaway Car" and "I Am the Highway". Odds are, the Rage boys would have been shot on sight if they played these at a Rage rehearsal, but with the dynamics and grace of Cornell's vocal stylings, these are perhaps the most refreshing tracks on the album. These are nothing new to Cornell, but the others must be amazed at how good it feels to stretch out musically.

But this album is much more than the RATM/Chris Cornell show. It's the birth of Audioslave, and nowhere on this album is that more apparent than in the 3 songs not heard on the leaked demos, "What You Are", "Set it Off", and "Hypnotize". "What You Are" is one of the most powerful pieces on the album, combining introspective lyrics with a great musical track. "Set it Off" sounds more like Deep Purple or Zeppelin than any Soundgarden or RATM song, with a fury all its own. Last but not least is "Hypnotize", a really intriguing track. On first listen, I was really confused. This was really new musical ground for everyone concerned. It sounds basically like a techno track played by actual musicians. But after a couple of listens, it just fits. It's fresh, exciting, and really grabs your attention in the middle of the album.

I suppose this wouldn't be a fair review if I didn't have a complaint. That said, there was a track on the leaked demos called "Turn to Gold". Where the hell did it go? This was just an amazing song, complete with one of the coolest solos I ever heard. Hopefully it will appear on a future album. But this is really stretching, because I honestly love this CD. Its so good to hear Chris Cornell singing with such entusiasm. And how bout the Rage boys? I alway knew they had it in them. When I first caught wind of it, I was skeptical, mostly because I was really afraid Chris would rap. But this is exactly what I expected. Super tight rhythms, thunderous bass, killer riffs, and powerful vocals. All in all, this is an amazing album. Don't compare it to Soundgarden or RATM, cause this isn't any of those. This is Audioslave. This is something fresh and interesting in the world of crappy rock music. This generation will finally have a guitar hero and a frontman worth of emulating.

Audioslave's debut is one of the most stunning in recent memory, this is a band that delivers on every level and displays what modern hard rock should be and how it should sound. The band arrives with a lot of hype, mostly built around the line-up which is made-up of members of the now defunct Rage Against The Machine and Soundgarden vocalist Chris Cornell. But never do they conceive retreads to their past work, instead Cornell and his new-found bandmates tear out of their old skins with a roaring new sound. "Audioslave" is not made with the type of repetitive distortion we find with bands like Disturbed, System Of A Down or Saliva, it is a brilliant album with a timeless quality. One of the reasons for this has to be how the band takes from the classics, in this CD one easily finds a unified Led Zeppelin, Doors, Black Sabbath and even AC/DC vibe with a dash of Pink Floyd. "Cochise" is a thundering, roaring opening that sets the stage for the rest of the album. "Show Me How To Live" plays like cool midnight blues filtered through pumped guitar work while "Gasoline" is wonderfully sonic with a touch of classic darkness. "Like A Stone" is a memorable hybrid of a balad with guitarist Tom Morello pulling off a stunning spacey solo. Other memorable moments are "Set It Off" which sounds a scorching sermon, the opening is an interesting display of studio harmonics, and "Bring Em Back Alive" which has imagery of the center of the sun and a city of lepers that summons the spirits of artists like Patti Smith or Jim Carroll. The stand-out performers here are Cornell and Morello, who easily compliment each-other's work beautifully. Morello is endlessly creative and stunning in the intricate, roaring and enrapturing style he plays here while Cornell tears and scares with vocals that can go from passive to insane and scorching. He comes off here as a rock singer turned inflamed poet (much like Jim Morrison only vice-versa). This is the kind of album you can enjoy for the sound and also for the lyrics, one grows weary of the weak bands that appear today all sounding like each-other. Audioslave stands out because it simply plays some good hard rock, here is an answer to those hungry for some great new music. And yet nothing here is new, what is striking is how the band takes these elements and lovingly polishes them to a gloss. Cornell and Morello will lose few fans considering anyone who liked the edgy, tearing and heavy elegance of Soundgarden and the pumped-up revolution feel of Rage Against The Machine will appreciate what this album has to offer. "Audioslave" stands out from many recent debuts in that you can actually call it a masterpiece.

When Soundgarden disbanded in 1997, singer Chris Cornell ventured into his own side projects, but they were less than a success, so when Zach de la Rocha left Rage Against the Machine three years later, Chris found himself a new home. The band adopted the name Audioslave when it came to them in a vision, and, after Chris left and rejoined the group, they released their debut album in 2002.

It may be because I loved Rage so damn much, and I wanted Audioslave to pick up where Rage left off, but it took me several listens to warm up to this album. I actually fell asleep the first time I listened to it, and even though I was well rested when I listened to it the next few times, I was still very lukewarm on this C.D.. But, about a year after I gave up on it, and after Audioslave's sophomore album was released, I eventually gave this disc another try. When I did, I was blown away.

Audioslave do not pick up where Rage Against the Machine left off; they are two completely different bands. This is mainly because, unlike Zach de la Rocha, Chris Cornell doesn't have a voice born to rap. If he tried it, it would probably be hilarious. Also, his voice isn't strong enough to yell over heavy rock, so Tom, Tim, and Brad have to play somewhat restrained. But, even though this C.D. is more alternative than anything Rage put out, it isn't 100% Soundgarden, either. It's a lot less grungy sounding, and guitarist Tom Morello can still wail, and he isn't afraid to show it.

1. "Cochise" is the first single, a personal favorite of mine, and probably the heaviest song on the record. The first fifty seconds or so is a slow drum beat, but then the guitars go wild in typical Tom Morello fashion, while the bass omits a slow wah-wah sound, and Chris lets loose a few pretty big yells.

2. "Show Me How to Live" begins with a few riffs and a catchy drum beat, then the guitar riffs become faster and Chris makes some humming noises. The guitars make a beeping sound in the verses, but the choruses explode and both Tom and Chris wail.

3. "Gasoline" features a brief wall of guitar crunch at the beginning. Chris then proceeds to sing properly in the verses and, even though he raises his voice in the choruses, he doesn't ever yell. There's also a brief wah-wah guitar solo after one of the choruses.

4. "What You Are" has calm, restrained verses, making the riff heavy choruses kind of surprising.

5. "Like a Stone" has choruses which have moderately sized riffs, but the verses consist of a repetitive drum beat and light, spacey guitar plucking which almost sounds acoustic at times. Another guitar solo is thrown in here, as well.

6. "Set it Off" is a good choice for the fifth single. It has a weird, almost robotic guitar noise at the beginning and a really catchy chorus (where Chris yells "Set it off! Set this f-cker off!")

7. The first 45 seconds of "Shadow of the Sun" has light guitar strumming which almost sounds like a piano. The bass and drums kick eventually kick in before the chorus, where the guitars make a low buzzing noise. Chris' yells in the choruses are catchy, but his voice almost borders on whiney. This song seems restrained until the end, where it finally opens up and Tom gets to do his thing.

8. "I Am the Highway" has twinkling guitar noise and proper crooning. This song doesn't detonate like tracks 1-7 did, but it's not supposed to; this song is almost a semi-ballad. It's still catchy, though, thanks to the vocals.

9. "Exploder" sort of makes up for track eight's lack of riffs. I enjoy how Chris sings during this song's chorus, then the chorus suddenly begins and he yells over loud, downshifting riffs.

10."Hypnotize" features beeping guitars which makes part of this song sound like a laser/light show.

11. "Bring `Em Back Alive" has light dwindling guitar notes, making this song sort of sound like the old RATM song "Born of a Broken Man." The vocals in the verses are extended and sound like a vocal synthesizer, but the choruses are a lot louder, with big, stop-start riffs.

12. "Light My Way" is another restrained rocker, with wah-wah guitars and a low, rumbling bass. The choruses again jump in volume, when the crunchy, almost pounding riffs make an entrance.

13. "Getaway Car" has a great melody, with soft guitar notes and good singing (Chris sings the catchy line "Ooo-hoo.")

14. "The Last Remaining Light" is another sluggish song, with good melody. It has a slow, thumping drum beat and a guitar which sounds like a synthesizer.

So, Chris joining forces with Tom, Tim and Brad was a big surprise, but it was an even bigger surprise that Audioslave's debut was so good. This album was an experiment, but the results were uncannily great. Audioslave might be the best alt metal band since Tool, and this is the best debut I've heard since Rage's 1992 self-titled album. I suggest this C.D. to fans of both Soundgarden and Rage Against the Machine, as well as all fans of alt metal. And, as always, make sure you listen with an open mind.