It was a Nineties rock fan’s dream: Three-quarters of rap-rock titans Rage Against the Machine backing Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell’s vocals, which could run the gamut from a plaintive, heartbreaking croon to a primal, guttural scream. Audioslave’s debut sold 4 million copies and picked up a Grammy nomination. But their 2005 follow-up found the souped-up supergroup, comprised of Cornell, Tom Morello, Brad Wilk and Tim Commerford, evolving immensely, becoming a fully formed group whose whole was far greater than the sum of its parts.
The mellifluous melodicism of “Be Yourself” bumps up against Tom Morello’s guitar histrionics on “Doesn’t Remind Me.” On the title track, a pummeling musical bed contrasts perfectly with Cornell’s smooth delivery. And deep cuts like “Man or Animal,” to quote Spin, “are as hot as anything this side of Led Zeppelin II.”
The album, one of the decade’s signature rock records, debuted at Number One on the Billboard 200 and went platinum. But just as important, it signaled the creative, eclectic apex of a beloved supergroup that ended far too early.
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