Chris Cornell’s New Band and their Self-Titled CD

A familiar sound has been riding the airwaves. Solitary pounding drums lead into a sliding guitar riff that sparks recollection. You cycle through your memories and one band stands out, but they broke up a while ago. Then a voice breaks out, also familiar, “I’ve been watching, while you’ve been coughin’. I’ve been drinking health while you’ve been nauseous.” Some instantly recognize the distinct wail of Chris Cornell, frontman from the now silent band Soundgarden. He’s found some new friends: the instrumentalists from Rage Against The Machine. Together they form Audioslave, a strait up rock troop that still retains their revolutionary roots.

Gone are the anger-fueled rhymes and hip-hop influence of Zach De La Rocha. Now the poetry of Chris Cornell shapes a completely different entity; one that carries their distinguishing sound to a whole new territory. The combined experience of talking-guitar mephisto Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford, and drummer Brad Wilk proves obvious in every song. Even the grittiest of segments comes across clean and seamless. Under Cornell’s versatile voice and strong lyrics, Audioslave is nothing short of a triumph.

Songs range in many musical flavors—a benefit of losing La Rocha. The first single off the self titled album “Cochise” sounds very similar to RATM, and their final bluesy track “The Last Remaining Light” is even reminiscent of Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun,” yet the majority of the album is something else. Some songs hit hard and heavy, and others ring softer with harmonies between Morello’s “Soul Power” guitar and Cornell’s smooth vocals.

You’ll notice a strong theme of fire and illumination. In “Set It Off,” calling for spiritual revolution, Cornell sings “He was standing at the rock/ Gathering the flock/ And getting there with no directions/ And underneath the Arch/ It turned into a march/ And there he found the spark to set this f**ker off.” Cornell continues with the chorus “He said set it of/ Set it off now children/Set it right…set a fire.” The song concludes with a haunting endnote, “It all adds up inside your head/ Time is wasting…”

More fire is seen in “Gasoline.” He sings, “Drag me off before I set the world on fire/ Out and gone/ The sun will never set tonight.” Cornell forms an interesting image in another verse: “No what for’s/ Only a can of red/ Says danger on it/ I have found another way.“

What Audioslave produces is not revolutionary in sound, but in spirit—the only thing that gives an impression of true innovation would be the Morello’s magic electric. By no means is their noise unconventional… yet the content of their creation is a challenge to convention itself. Professionalism and craftsmanship of the four bandmembers is evident, and is truly a quality collaboration between two epic forces of music. No doubt they know what they’re doing. If your revolution needs a soundtrack, Audioslave is an appropriate pick. I’ll end this review with a quote from track eleven “Bring em’ Back Alive.” “And just like the heathens thinking/ On our feet we believe in God…On the highroad to remembering/ It seems that we forgot…”