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AUDIOSLAVE SONY RECORDS  If you're a fan of music at all, no matter what genre, you had to at least be curious about Audioslave; the collaboration of forefathers of rap-rock and grunge making beautiful music together? Sounds like a can't miss proposition. When I first heard Chris Cornell (Soundgarden) was teaming with Tim Commerford, Brad Wilk and Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine), my mind reeled on the possibilities. Who would bend? Who would curtail their sound to match the other? Chris Cornell rapping a la Zach de la Roca? The remaining RATM members muddying their sound to match the grittiness of Soundgarden? The answer is neither. Instead what we get is something fresh and invigorating. This unlikely mix seems to have brought the best out of both parties. Cornell's lyrics and vocals are more powerful than ever and, musically, the RATM trio explores places they never have before. Slow, moody tracks border on soulful and genre defying, most notably on songs like "Getaway Car," "I Am The Highway" and "Shadow Of The Sun." At other times the power musically and vocally become overwhelming. "Gasoline," "Set It Off" and "Exploder" are a marriage of raw intensity and emotion; rhythms and riffs so heavy you can feel them course through your skin. Then there are songs like "What You Are," "Hypnotize" and "Bring Em Back Alive" where their exploration brings us to a place neither Cornell or Rage has ever been. Somewhere grandiose, somewhere generation defining, somewhere that separates themselves completely from their former bands. And, once separated, its on "Show Me How To Live," the album's resident anthem, that Audioslave defines who they are now. It is here more than anywhere else that the magic of the Cornell/Morello collective is felt. It's hard to escape the two distinct sounds that defined their respective bands and I'm not sure that that's what they did here. Rather, Soundgarden and Rage Against The Machine is what they were and Audioslave is what they are. And if they never make another album again, this one should satisfy for years to come. review by anthony sciscioli |
