Audioslave: Chris Cornell (vocals); Tom Morello (guitar); Tim Commerford (bass); Brad Wilk (drums).
Recorded at Cello Studios, Royaltone Studios, Burbank, Akadamie Mathematique Of Philosophical Sound Research, Los Angeles, California; Audio Litho, Studio X, Seattle, Washington.
AUDIOSLAVE was nominated for the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Rock Album.
"Like A Stone" was nominated for the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance.
A modern day super-group composed of ex-members of heavy rock titans Soundgarden and Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave was subject to some pretty high fan expectations. Luckily, the group delivers just what the doctor ordered: a seamless mix of the styles that made the individual members famous. Basically a stoner rock record par excellence, AUDIOSLAVE strips the genre down to its core, serving up one pile-driving riff after another with minimal, but perfectly placed, production flash. In any given song, the band repeats said riffs with even more bone-crushing attitude each time.
Just when the listener thinks his/her head will go numb from too much stud-rock low E-string twanging and Montrose-era Sammy Hagar-esque wailing, however, Audioslave wisely throws in a ballad. Sure, it's a proven rock formula, but these guys are professionals fully in control of the situation; AUDIOSLAVE bristles with a no-frills, offhand intensity that throws down and reminds those silly nu-metal poseurs what heavy rock is all about.
Professional Reviews
Spin (1/03, p.72) - Ranked #34 on Spin's list of 2002's "Albums of the Year"
Spin (12/01/02, pp.135-6) - 8 out of 10 - "...[Cornell] still has the strongest rock voice in existence....Badass music..."
Entertainment Weekly (11/22/02, p.77) - "...The metal is as taut as a rubber band....If you want simple elevation by way of accomplished rock band, AUDIOSLAVE is ready to serve..."
Q (01/01/04, p.79) - Ranked #28 in Q's "The 50 Best Albums of 2003" - "[A]n attempt to rewrite PHYSICAL GRAFFITI for the 21st century."
