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OTHER A & E STORIES - It must be heaven for Pearl Jam fans - Brian thinks you should... (Rage - 1) + (Soundgarden - 3) = Mediocrity Brian Kerin A & E Editor When bands as big as Soundgarden and Rage Against the Machine break up, at the peak of their careers, fans are left wanting more. More is what fans expected to get when Chris Cornell, vocalist and songwriter for Soundgarden, teamed up with the guitar and rhythm section of Rage to form Audioslave. When fans of the two bands first heard rumors about the formation of a new Rage with Chris Cornell on vocals, gossip and excitement ensued. As well, legal issues caused more anticipation as the release of the album and its first single were put off months after the original release date. First the band had problems deciding on who would manage the band; since Chris Cornell's wife, and manager of all his previous bands, was thought to be non-partial by the other members of the band. Then the band had to deal with copyright issues as their choice for a band name had already been taken (nothing a little cash couldn't handle). And when the band finally released the album the anticipation overwhelmed the mediocre material and fans were left divided over it. Chris Cornell shows off his Jesus Christ pose with a pyrotechnic flair. Photo courtesy of www.mtv.com The first track on Audioslave's self-titled release is extremely reminiscent of Rage's stereotypical sound. "Cochise," also the first single from the CD, displays Tom Morello at his best, showing he never lost a note after Rage disbanded. The song is fast and loud and shows that Rage's rap-style rhythm section can oh-so-well be the foundation for Chris Cornell's screeching banshee-like vocals. The next two tracks on the CD lose no momentum carrying the listener right back to their old Soundgarden or Rage disks. Track four, "What you are," is the surprise I was hoping for when I first listened to the album. This song is completely new, reminding me of neither of the guys' former bands. It's melodic, progressive and, with the exception of a very cool Morello guitar solo, none of the cliche elements are present. After being pleasantly surprised with the route the music was taking, I was instantly let down by the next track. "Like a Stone" was way too chorus friendly; it's slow, the instrumentation is completely unoriginal and reminded me more of Cornell's solo work than it did of either of the bands' music the guys are most well known for. And, even though the album goes right back to the hard-rockin' tunes I expected from the band, I couldn't help being thrown off by this tune that should have never made the album. The disk does have some high spots though: "Shadow on the Sun" and "Hypnotize." These two original-sounding tunes both carry the band into completely new musical territories that any new band should have further explored. Although it's great to hear some of my favorite musicians making music again, I can't help feeling like this attempt might have been to no avail. Overall, I can't listen to Audioslave's first outing without thinking there were a few songs that just should have been omitted from the album. To put four extremely talented musicians together and not let their own styles mesh to form a completely original sound seems somehow contrived or corporate. It's possible that the guys in Audioslave just haven't found their chemistry. I hope this is the case, but if this album was made for the money, I think I would feel betrayed. © 2003 Shoreline Community College™