Artist: Audioslave
Label: Polydor Records
Release: 2005
Rock, grunge and a few other bands fall apart and new ones pop up, supposedly supergroups. Zack de la Rocha left Rage Against The Machine, Chris Cornell broke up Soundgarden – and after some initial birth pangs, Audioslave were born, put out their self-titled debut and won over plenty of fans of, let’s say, hard rock (though not literally).
You probably know the backstory more or less – besides Chris Cornell, Audioslave are made up of the superb guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk, and their first hit Cochise still sounds super fresh and dynamic today. And if their debut Audioslave didn’t win you over, Out of exile definitely will, because unlike the debut, it sounds like a record made by Audioslave, not like Rage Against The Machine’s music glued together with just the lyrics and a bit of melody from Chris Cornell.
Twelve tracks – hypnotic guitar riffs, bass that jumps out at exactly the right moment, hard-hitting drums, and standout vocals with a one-of-a-kind delivery. Some of the songs – Out of exile, Doesn’t remind me, Heaven’s dead, Yesterday to tomorrow, #1 Zero – are slower, but they pack a ton of energy, are brilliantly performed and are even more polished instrumentally than the ones that are simply bursting with raw energy and positive vibes.
Which tracks stand out? Well, every time you listen you’ll discover something new and interesting in every song, which means you won’t get sick of this record anytime soon. Still, the ones that stand out every single time are the opener Your time has come, plus Be yourself, Drown me slowly, and The worm in Dandelion, which with its melody is definitely the biggest and most pleasant surprise.
I’ll admit that in the past Rage Against The Machine didn’t win me over, especially instrumentally, Soundgarden left me cold too (the vocals aside), and at first I wasn’t into Audioslave either. But their music gets under your skin – for me personally especially because of the excellent guitars and that distinctive voice. Velvet Revolver let me down with Contraband, and I’m really curious whether they’ll sound like a band on their second record. Sorry, like a supergroup!
Lineup
Chris Cornell – vocals
Tom Morello – guitar
Timothy Commerford – bass guitar
Brad Wilk – drums
Production
Rick Rubin & Brendan O’Brien
Tracklist
1. Your Time Has Come
2. Out of Exile
3. Be Yourself
4. Doesn’t Remind Me
5. Drown Me Slowly
6. Heavens Dead
7. The Worm
8. Man or Animal
9. Yesterday to Tomorrow
10. Dandelion
11. #1 Zero
12. The Curse
13. Like A Stone – Live
