AUDIOSLAVE: Audioslave (ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

While he pursues his career alone after the split of Soundgarden (1997), Chris Cornell is proposed by producer Rick Rubin (Slayer, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Johnny Cash...) to hold the microphone within the musicians of Rage Against The Machine, orphaned since the end of 2000 by Zach de la Rocha tired of recurrent internal conflicts. Everything went very fast and when the new entity entered the studio at the beginning of 2001, nineteen days had been enough to write twenty-one tracks. Only fourteen of them would make up the album, soberly entitled "Audioslave".

Surprisingly, Chris Cornell will only be responsible for the lyrics while the rest of the members will put them to music. Surprising when you know Cornell's talent as a songwriter, but especially the political stances of the Los Angeles trio. That said, the themes now dealing with spirituality and philosophical questions won't prevent familiar rhythms from the Rage Against The Machine era from appearing on this eponymous album.

In this respect, "Cochise" will undoubtedly not have surprised the fans curious to hear the result of this new alliance. Groovy guitar - for the anecdote, the introduction effect was created by accident by Tom Morello while he was passing the pen he used to write down his score on the strings of his guitar - unstoppable punchy riff, racy vocals from Cornell, if the project doesn't propose a new reading of rock, it can however reassure by its coherence.

Alongside these metal tracks, enhanced in places with soli and guitar effects by an ever so inventive Morello, are grafted some simple but precious power ballads, sometimes on the borders of folk ("Like A Stone", "I Am The Highway"), or even luminous ("The Last Remaining Light"). At the crossroads between asperity and sweetness, "Shadow Of The Sun" starts with nostalgic arpeggios and a quiet melody from Cornell, slowly rising in power to finish its course in a flood of heavy riffs and harsh vociferations. A few islands of relative calm in this electric sea, among them "Gateway Car", bring a still soothing blues note.

The reunion of two former metal legends of the 90's has thus found a particular legitimacy and the fans' fear of finding only a hybrid formation adding up the criteria of each one is no longer really relevant. As proof, the public responded favourably, with more than five million copies sold worldwide. An album that can certainly be improved upon, but which will leave an indelible mark in memories. - Official website

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