Categories : Music Reviews, Rock + Pop.
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Rating: 3/5 Released: May 24, 2005 Reviewer: David Coats |
By now everyone knows the story of how vocalist Chris Cornell, of 90’s alternative stars Soundgarden, joined forces with drummer Brad Wilk, bassist Tim Commerford, and guitarist Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine to form Audioslave. The group’s latest effort, Out Of Exile, offers many highlights, such as the intense riffs of Your Time Has Come, Morello’s patented left-field soloing (especially on #1 Zero), and Cornell’s still striking voice. The record is assertively heavy but not aggressively so, providing a welcome balance between rhythm and melody, especially on lead single, Be Yourself.
Audioslave worked with Rick Rubin, one of the most respected producers in the business, but interestingly, some songs, like the title track, bear an intriguing resemblance to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, another band Rubin’s worked with in the past. Lyrically the record relies on Cornell’s emotion and occasional spiritual musings, but this can become a little bit clichéd – from the lead single Be Yourself to the impassioned idealism of obligatory metal-ballad Heaven’s Dead. You can tell these guys understand and believe in what they’re doing, which ultimately makes this record convincing, but Out Of Exile generally seems to lack imagination. Unfortunately, in some ways Audioslave are the victims of the standards their debut record set. Nevertheless, this is the kind of project that most rock bands would love to have on their résumé. Not as monumental a step forward as their debut record was, but solid as a portrait of a band who knows who they are.
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