Audioslave

Item: Audioslave
Author: Vik Bansal

(2002)

Reviewed by Vik Bansal

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Label EpicThe Phantom Tollbooth2003

alternative metal hard rock post-grunge

"Supergroups", where bands are formed from members of already successful groups, have a tendency to be "super" only in name. For instance, there are still plenty of Yes and King Crimson fans tucked around the globe, but how many people still remember Asia? And there are few people who would seriously suggest that Down have ever gotten close to the brutal brilliance of Pantera or Corrosion of Conformity, or that Mad Season were a patch on Alice In Chains or Pearl Jam.

Given this trend, it is unsurprising to learn that the debut album from Audioslave, the potentially mouthwatering collaboration between Soundgarden's Chris Cornell and Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello, Timmy C and Brad Wilk, never quite reaches the stratospheric heights that the members' former bands did. However, in light of the seminal nature of Soundgarden's and Rage's past output, this is by no means a criticism. In fact, Audioslave is a frequently impressive album that is more than good enough to stand up in its own right.

Listening to Audioslave, it is apparent that the substitution of ex-Rage vocalist Zack de la Rocha for someone with a lesser political axe to grind and whose voice truly is a musical instrument, has led to the other Rage members increasing their wingspan to fly into new musical territories. "I Am the Highway" is a case in point: a beautiful, ascending track that, whisper it quietly, could almost pass for Adult-Oriented Rock, and is surely destined for prolonged residency on US radio. Elsewhere, "Hypnotize" is a bit of a shock; with its cool, dancey rhythm and turntable-scratching sounds simulated by Morello's guitar, it would not be altogether out of place on an album by a band like Radio 4.

Fans of the more conventional Soundgarden and Rage rock sound need not worry, however, because there is still plenty of hard-edged music to choose from. Opener "Cochise," defiantly named in honour of the famed Indian chief, and "Gasoline," are two such tracks, boasting big, Led Zeppelin-styled guitar riffs, chunky rhythms, muscular vocals and stand-out choruses.

Of course, Audioslave is not perfect. With fourteen tracks and a running time of over an hour, it is fair to say that there are one or two filler songs that could have been dropped without being overly missed. In addition, Cornell's lyrics occasionally descend into self-referential monotony, with him declaring that "I'm a shadow on the sun" ("Shadow On the Sun"), "I am the highway/I am the sky" ("I Am the Highway") and "I am a virus" ("Bring 'Em Back Alive").

Nevertheless, there is much to commend Audioslave and it deserves a listen, at least for curiosity's sake. If not a "super" group yet, Audioslave is certainly a "very good" one.

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