First off, there those who rather sneeringly refer to Audioslave as a "super group" are off the mark; whatever this album may (or may not) be it is nothing if not sincere. If they were in it solely for the money, Audioslave certainly could have made a more commercial album, instead they stretched their legs artistically, and while they don't always succeed, they certainly make a game of it.

By way of some background, Audioslave is made up of Chris Cornell, of Soundgarden fame, on vocals with Tom Morello (lead guitar), Tim Commerford (bass), and Brad Wilk (drums) all formerly of Rage Against the Machine rounding out the group. The funny thing is, I was never a particularly big fan of either band, but the match-up intrigued me. As Henry Rollins once said, Cornell's voice can, "peel paint off the walls", and I always liked Rage's fusion of funk and rock, personified in Morello's remarkable guitar playing. The problem was, Zach de la Rocha's self-consciously political lyrics ruined the music for me (what rhymes with `Zapatista'?). With de la Rocha's ouster, I saw a lot of potential, and while the end result is a mixed bag, it's more than worth the price.

The first three tracks on this album ("Cochise", "Show Me How To Live", and "Gasoline") are flat out rockers. There is no one thing about them that makes them stand out; it's just an all out group effort with excellence at every level. "Cochise" in particular is a brilliant combination of the stripped down grunge we would have heard Cornell recording a decade ago, and the flourishes that are Morello's hallmark.

The fourth track, "What You Are" foreshadows some of the difficulties found later in the album. Morello, gets stuck in a pretty dull chord progression for most of the song, and when he finally breaks out with a truly remarkable riff (sort of a melodic, electronic version of a catfight, if that makes any sense) it seems oddly disconnected from the rest of the song.

"Like A Stone" is the first single off the album, and rightfully so as it represents the best fusion of Soundgarden and Rage on the album. Cornell's voice is in fine form soaring to ear-piercing shrieks only to dip down to a steady rumble and then back again. In addition, Morello's guitar work is nothing short of breathtaking; I don't even know how to begin to describe it other than that it is the perfect counterpoint to Cornell's voice and some of the most original and creative stuff I have heard in a long time.

"Set It Off" seems to be Cornell's nod to Rage's political base, and while it's not a bad song (in fact it's a pretty good tune) it seems oddly out of context on the album. Moreover, Cornell, a multimillionaire pushing forty singing "...set it off now children..." is more than a little amusing.

If "Like A Stone" is a perfect fusion of what was, then track seven, "Shadow of the Sun" is the best example of what may be to come. This track goes beyond fusing elements successfully, and creates something new. Morello's guitar swoops and soars, never settling in one place for long. In the hands of a less talented musician it would be pretentious and tedious, but with Morello it's just sheer brilliance. At the same time, Cornell's singing reveals a more contemplative side, a certain maturity, which only adds to the power of his voice.

It's followed up by another excellent cut in "I Am The Highway" which contains some of my favorite lyrics. Cornell explores relativity as he stays the same as friends and lovers come and go.

Track nine, "Exploder" is a pretty good tune, but there's nothing about it that one takes notice of.

The next track, "Hypnotize" is a funny little song that I rather like; but I'm not sure that it's the right direction for Cornell. Specifically, he has a delivery that borders on the spoken word, and while there's nothing wrong with that per se, I'm not sure he has the right kind of voice for it. An Ed Vedder, for example, would be better suited to the kind of delivery he's going for. Nonetheless, I really like this one, and it features perhaps the best drum work on the album.

Tracks 11 and 12 are far and away my least favorite on the album. Both "Bring Em Back Alive" and in particular, "Light My Way" offer performances that are more reminiscent of a cookie cutter heavy metal track than anything one would expect from artists of this caliber. The one exception here is the superb guitar solo (one of the few extended solos on the album) that is completely wasted on "Bring Em Back Alive"; Morello really gets experimental on that one, and the drums are excellent, but the song just doesn't live up to the effort.

Next is "Getaway Car", which has an interesting, bluesy sort of beat, and vocal arrangements that vaguely remind me of Gospel/Soul (believe it or not).

Finally, the album wraps up with the rather forgettable "The Last Remaining Light". Frankly, the whole band seems a little bored with this one, and while it's not awful, I can't imagine ever skipping ahead to get to it.

In the end that's eight good-to-great songs, three good ones, and three I could have lived without. Generally speaking, I would be ecstatic to get eleven solid tracks off an album, and in this instance that's certainly true. While Audioslave's first effort doesn't quite live up to all the expectations and hype (could any album have?) it is still well above average, and is a great listen. If you want to hear why there may yet be hope for rock in this age of borderline psychotic rock-rap a la Limp Bizkit and the derivative drudgery of Creed or Nickelback, the self-titled "Audioslave" is more than worth checking out.

Jake Mohlman

Audioslave just may be the force that can save rock and bring the music scene back to the meaningful and emotionally rich state that it has not known since the early 90s grunge period. If this is the case, it would be the second time that the amazing Chris Cornell helped saved rock. After all Soundgarden predates Nirvana as a fundamental part of the grunge movement, which purged rock of the disgrace known as hairmetal. Audiosalve, however, shows potential to be greater than Soundgarden (or for that matter Rage Against the Machine) ever was. It is a merging of what is, without a doubt, the best parts of the two bands. Cornell's voice is certainly one of the best in rock history and Morello is an absolute genius whose riffwriting ability is compairable to that of Jimmy Page and whose exploration into new sounds with a guitar is remeniscent of Jimmy Hendrix. Of course the crisp, and tight rythm section cannot be overlooked. Brad Wilk and Tim Cummerford's flawless playing provide a solid backbone for Audioslave.

The Album is completely satisfying from beginning to end. It is quite diverse and incredibly succesful in all the areas which it explores. Hard rock anthems like Cochise and What you Are will make you just want to get up and scream along with Cornell while Ballads like Getaway Car and I Am the Highway are sure to move you. Like a Stone and Shadow on the Sun are epic masterpieces which will have you grabbing for a lighter. Both of these two are adorned with quitar solos that are both stunning and groundbreaking. You won't soon find a better buy than this treasure so I recomend supporting the rebirth of true rock by buying one for yourself and one for a loved one right now!

It's 1992 all over again. Ten years ago, Nirvana graced the charts, Soundgarden's Chris Cornell screamed with passion and intensity on radios across the country, and Rage Against The Machine blew away listeners with its hard-rocking, complex, chaotic sounds. Today, it seems, history is repeating itself. Nirvana has a new hit CD, Cornell is still screaming his head off, and Rage is still rocking hard. Only this time there's a twist.

Soundgarden is no more, and singer Zack de la Rocha has parted ways with Rage. This combination of circumstances is what allowed Audioslave to come to be.

Featuring Cornell on vocals, Audioslave creates a sonic onslaught aimed directly at the listener with their debut self-titled album. Ex-Rage members Tom Morello (guitar), Tim Commerford (bass), and Brad Wilk (drums) provide huge chunks of hard rock riffage for Cornell to cry, moan, and wail over. Morello, as always, is especially brilliant on the album, creating noises with his guitar that would make Jimi Hendrix turn green with envy.

As a whole, Audioslave leans much more towards hard rock than the hip-hop and funk-laden grooves of Rage Against the Machine. The album is loud, powerful, and hits hard. Cornell sings here with conviction unheard since his Soundgarden days.

The album begins with what sounds like a helicopter along with a steady, hard drumbeat. That "helicopter" is Morello's guitar, which soon explodes into the hard-rocking sonic frenzy known as "Cochise." The song, which is pure headbanging fun, is a tribute to a great Native American chief.

Morello explains, "Cochise was the last great American Indian chief to die free and absolutely unconquered. When several members of his family were captured, tortured, and hung by the U.S. Cavalry, Cochise declared war on the entire Southwest and went on an unholy rampage, a warpath to end all warpaths. He and his warriors drove out thousands of settlers. Cochise the Avenger, fearless and resolute, attacked everything in his path with an unbridled fury. This song kinda sounds like that."

Other headbangers on the album include "Set it Off," which is simply rock mayhem, and "Bring `Em Back Alive," reminiscent of Black Album-era Metallica, minus Kirk Hammet's mindless guitar wanking.

There's more to the album than pure headbanging, though. One of the great things about the record is its use of dynamics. On several tracks, notably "Exploder," the verses are delicate and intricate, and all of the sudden the choruses just, well, explode out of nowhere with raw bombast, allowing the songs to simultaneously portray both dark, mellow moods, and more aggressive emotions.

Besides "Cochise," the real gem on this album is "Like a Stone." The song features extremely refined guitar work from Morello, which perfectly blends retro and modern styles in order to create a mood that gradually shifts from dreary to hopeful.

The only track on the album that really misses is "What You Are," which features absurdly loud guitars in the chorus that drown out the vocals and sound too melodious, which doesn't quite fit with their heavily distorted sound.

The songs on the album don't seem to flow as well as they could, but "What You Are" aside, they are all very good songs, with deceptively complex arrangements and a variety of emotions expressed. So if you want an album that flows like a river, telling a musical story as it goes, Audioslave may not be for you. But if you want an album that is sure to satisfy any headbanger's craving for pure, unadulterated, bombastic hard rock, look no further than this album.

Both Rage Against the Machine and Soundgarden were driving forces in 90's rock. RATM, though not the first to mix rap and rock, were the first rap-rock band, and almost singlehandedly invented a new genre, which can now be regarded as "[bad] rock" (Limp Bizkit, Crazy Town, POD, etc). Soundgarden were one of the many great Seattle grunge bands, and Chris Cornell is arguably the greatest vocalist of the genre (Layne Staley of Alice in Chains comes close as well). With both bands now a memory that will no doubt live on, they have joined forces to create a supergroup that is nothing short of incredible.

Rumors had been circulating since right after Zack de la Rocha split from RATM that the remaining instrumentalists would team up with Chris Cornell. No doubt the rock world was devastated when Cornell parted ways with them and they were forced to drop off of Ozzfest. But once the single and video for "Cochise" hit the airwaves, it became apparent that peace was restored between the two parties, and that the rumors are now in fact a reality.

Inevitably, reaction to Audioslave's debut album is mixed, but for the most part, the reaction has been positive. True, Zack de la Rocha's radical politics were one of the things that made RATM unique, but with any band, it is the music that matters most. Without the music, their politics would not have gotten across, and with this, one realizes, that one listened to RATM, like with anything else, for the music more than anything else. Chris Cornell is not political, but his lyrics are poetic, and his vocals are just as awesome as ever.

As a huge RATM fan who also enjoys Soundgarden, I was definitely exited for this album to be released, and found the first single "Cochise" to be awesome. As the release date drew near, I started to have a feeling that the album was going to be bad. Not that I thought it was going to, but I was AFRAID it was going to be bad. Fortunately, as I had hoped, my fears diminished and I finished the album very impressed.

As expected, traces of both former bands are audible throughout. "Hypnotize" recalls RATM's cover of "Renegades of Funk." "Cochise," "Set It Off," and "Gasoline" could very easily have been RATM songs, though Cornell's vocals fit it really well.

As stated before, there are plenty of songs here that could easily fit RATM songs with de la Rocha shouting his politics over them. However, Chris Cornell fits these and all the other tracks extremely well. When listening to this album and looking back on the RATM catalogue, one notices that nearly, if not all the songs in the RATM catalogue were heavy rockers. Because Chris Cornell is a much more versatile vocalist then de la Rocha, the RATM boys are able to branch out and play more than just riff rockers. "What You Are" is a pretty slow song with a heavy part. "Like A Stone" is sheer musical genius, which contains what could very well be the best solo Tom Morello has ever laid down. Others, like "Getaway Car" and "I Am the Highway" are sheer ballads, something they never could have done with de la Rocha. Musically, everyone has improved greatly. At times, the heavy numbers recall Led Zeppelin in their heyday. With a vocalist as good and as diverse as Cornell, who can rock hard just as well as he can chill out, the boys are allowed to expand their styles of music, and their true talent as musicians shine through here.

Everyone on here plays phenomenally. Chris Cornell sounds just as good as he did on Soundgarden's Superunknown album. Tom Morello's guitar playing is the best he's done since RATM's debut album back in 1992. The rhythm section is also just as tight as ever. With plenty of great songs and great musicians, Audioslave may very well be the best supergroup since Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young joined forces in 1969. For any fan of good hard rock, this is highly recommended. Those of us who grew up in the 90's will no doubt enjoy this record. Audioslave has proven that there is in fact hope for rock music in the future, and hopefully, Audioslave will be there to rock us out for a long time to come.

5/5

3.5 stars...

This album isn't perfect. It's not really all that innovative. If you argue that it's just a collage of pieces from Rage and Soundgarden you wouldn't be that far off either.

Does that mean it's mediocre? Heck no, not in my book at least. It may not reflect the complete potential this band can achieve, but look at many other great bands. Tool didn't release Lateralus or Aenima as their debut album, nor did U2 release the Joshua or Achtung Baby to start their career. While Audioslave probably isn't comparable to U2 or Tool in terms of their style and sound (I don't think they're going to be considered prog-rock or pop-rock, but I could be wrong), it seems apparent to me that they are struggling to develop into something unique in the industry and, even if this album turned out a little raw, cliched, and uncalibrated, it is the first step to that end. Essentially, if this album does not sound completely airtight or polished and if the melodies or vocals don't quite blend together seamlessly, I would argue that they shouldn't. I'd be a little suspicious if they got it right the first time to be honest.

In general, This is not a heavy metal CD like Rage or Soundgarden; it has more melodramatic and ballad-like tracks ( ex. Like a Stone) along with your standard heavier metal-like songs such as Cochise and Light My Way. To me that's good; it signals a departure from the past and I think that kind of experimentation can only yield good and original things in the future. The music is catchy and good, even if it is cliched at times, and the lyrics and vocals are very good as well. Overall I'd say this album is definetely worth buying. I think it was overhyped and that's probably why some people are dissapointed, but hype has a tendency to do that. Morello's guitar remains top notch and if nothing else itself makes this album worth checking out.

Overall, I say buy this album and keep an open mind. I listen to the album frequently and enjoy it each time I do. I think it's a great album and look forward to a progression on where it's going in future releases. It's gonna remind you of Soundgarden and Rage, but don't knock it when it doesn't completely take you to either, and remember that this may only be the beginning of something much bigger. Lets hope this is the case....