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After much anticipation,
the Audioslave album arrived in my mailbox. Soon after ripping
the envelope to sheds I began digging into the cellophane
covering. I had been waiting on this album ever since I
received word that it was going to become reality and hit
store shelves. In any event, I was very excited about the
Audioslave project and the fact it had finally arrived on my
doorstep blotted my skin with goose bumps. For those of you
who are unaware of the Audioslave project, Audioslave consists
of Chris Cornell and former Rage Against the Machine Members
(TIM COMMERFORD, TOM MORELLO & BRAD WILK). To many music
enthusiasts, the contents of this project have the potential
to be downright deadly. Their potential lies within the idea
of uprooting the current music scene, shedding new light upon
old ideas, and creating a new bold sound that cannot be taken
lightly. That potential was met head on with this, their debut
self-titled release.
While Rage Against the Machine generally focused on political
content, Audioslave tends to focus their attention on personal
revelation. During your (65:21) journey, you will find several
instances where the lyrical content includes personal
experiences, some of which suggest were written out of
personal/emotional pain. The idea of focusing lyricism around
personal revelation may be out of character for the RATM
members, but Chris Cornell and his previous Soundgarden
experiences allow him to fit in quite comfortably. While it is
clear that Audioslave has a different lyrical focus (than RATM),
you can rest assured that the RATM instrumentation persists.
During the course of the album you will hear some extreme
variety from song to song, but the quality of each track will
knock most music addicts on the floor. I am not sure if I
would classify this album as jaw dropping, but it is stellar
nonetheless. RATM fans will swallow this whole alongside the
Cornell fans that have been chomping at the bit for more.
I have listened to this album several times and after each
listen I have been unable to generate any negative aspects.
The album is over an hour long consisting of 14 tracks all of
which sound superb. Of the 14 total, each track is a solid
performance that carries strong emotion. Each track
encompasses a sound that maintains an established style, but
carries it high atop the next level. Each track contains a
sound that could be played over and over and over again.
I am sure that this album isn't going to appeal to everyone,
but I honestly feel that most listeners will enjoy this. At
the least, I would hope that Audioslave would be given respect
by everyone for their tremendous effort. Audioslave has
listened to the skeptics, realized the heavy expectations that
have been laid upon them, and created an album that has the
power to silence even the most stubborn critics. I recommend
this to each and every one of you out there. This album is
very much worth your time and your money, so give the band
some personal respect and purchase this gem.
By the way, I pondered the idea of completing a track by track
review of this album, but I felt as though I would spoil any
surprises that your first listen would uncover.
Track Listing:
01. Cochise
02. Show Me How To Live
03. Gasoline
04. What You Are
05. Like A Stone
06. Set It Off
07. Shadow On The Sun
08. I Am The Highway
09. Exploder
10. Hypnotize
11. Bring Em Back Alive
12. Light My Wav
13. Getaway Car
14. The Last Remaining Light
Ramz Rating: 4.5 out of 5
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