AUDIOSLAVE - News

A recent tour stop brought Audioslave to Winnipeg, Manitoba where the put on one hell of a show! The near capacity crowd was on their feet for the entire 2 hours of the show. Audislave covered a lot of material throughout the night with many songs off their new album, Out of Exile, as well as off their self titled debut album. Not to mention covering some SoundGarden and Rage Against the Machine tracks. Some of the highlights were Chris Cornell breaking into an accoustical session with a great rendition of Black Hole Sun in which the entire audience was drowning out his voice while they sang along. While the special effects were minimal, the band more than made up for it with a stellar performance, amazing guitar work and a clean, clear and crisp sound. If you have the chance to see Audioslave in person, it is definitly worth the price of admission. A big two thumbs up for these guys and the show they put on!

Here are some snippits of a well written review of audioslaves newest offering "Out Of Exile". "Following Zack de la Rocha's departure from Rage Against the Machine in October 2000, the three remaining members of the band joined up with former Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell to form the supergroup Audioslave. Few expected the group to stay together for a sophomore album after witnessing the release of their eponymous debut, which sold over two million thanks to its collection of bland and uninspired rockers specifically crafted to break the Top 40." Their first album was not that bad. It had some catchy beats. Its hard to expect a band to form and come up with magic in such a short period. They did ride prior fame, but I think Audioslave has found a unique sound. "Out Of Exile," the latest release from Audioslave, proves critics false. The album picks up where "Audioslave" left off, but drives the music in a different direction. Unlike "Audioslave," which sounded much more like a cut-and-paste job of Cornell's vocals over raucous Rage Against The Machine riffs, "Out Of Exile" demonstrates a much more collaborative spirit between band members. This time around, the band attempts to set aside its Rage Against The Machine influences for the most part, focusing instead on emphasizing Cornell's Soundgarden background. Consequently, songwriting in "Out Of Exile" is much more reserved, with no member outdoing the others with his own share of styles and influences, with the possible exception of guitarist Tom Morello, who continues to wallow in ostentatious guitar-playing. However, even Morello's self-indulgent guitar solos takes second fiddle in more than a few songs, allowing Cornell's vocal melodies to dominate. I agree. The new Out Of Exile songs are very well balanced, and probably the best to date.

Audio Slave plays an outdoor concert in hollywood for Jimmy Kimmel Live and MTV. This following a historic event: On May 6, Audioslave played a free show in Cuba, the first American rock group to perform in that country in 26 years. It was an honor Morello's former band, politicos Rage Against the Machine, always discussed, but never experienced as reality. Their latest offering - "Out of Exile" is in stores and at number 1 on the Billboard album charts. Their single "Be Yourself" has been on top of Billboard's rock charts for six weeks straight. "There were many roadblocks to keep Rage from playing Cuba, and some of them were generated by government bureaucracy, and some were generated by internal band conflict," Morello, 40, said by phone just before a sold-out show in Mexico City. "Having 70,000 people singing along to us on a Havana night was amazing," he said. "I saw people throwing messages onto the stage. I saw them mouth the same words time and time again: 'Thank you."'

Audioslave is back after thier self titled debut in 2002. Speaking about the album, front man Chris Cornell said it is his favorite so far, he says "There's some simplicity, three-chord songs, that I know for a fact Soundgarden wouldn't have done, and I know Rage wouldn't have done," Cornell says. "We were kind of fearless making this record. It's just very open and free." Reviews of the album have been positive, however the Boston Herald gave only 3.5/4 stars Audioslave Out of Exile (3.5 out of 4 stars) Review by Sarah Rodman Audioslave stomped decisively out of the gate with its 2002 debut. Here was a supergroup - former Soundgarden vocalist Chris Cornell and the musicians from Rage Against the Machine - that actually worked! Alas, though the sources of heat remain in place - particularly Tom Morello's squealing guitar - the fire doesn't burn quite as bright on ``Out of Exile.'' ``Out of Exile'' starts well enough with the galloping-Grim Reaper rock of ``Your Time Has Come.'' Other impressive efforts include the furious attack of ``The Worm'' and the left-field sing-along pop of ``Doesn't Remind Me.'' But too many other tracks lumber sluggishly. Great guitar riffs search for melodic hooks on the title track. When a strong melody does emerge on the single ``Be Yourself,'' it sinks under the weight of sentiments that wouldn't sound out of place on a Mariah Carey hit. The whole thing fizzles to a close with a slow burner about confusion called ``The Curse.'' Hope it doesn't prove prophetic. Download: ``Doesn't Remind Me.'' (Boston Herald)

Audio slave plays a cuban gig - 50,000 Cubans, watched at the Jose Marti anti-imperialist forum in Havana and enjoyed a music show performed by the American rock band AudioSlave. The first show of AudioSlave, the first American band to perform on the island country in over 40 years, started at 9 pm on May 7 at a plaza facing the US Interests Section usually used by Cuban officials to protest American policies. The band is made up of former Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell and members of the former hard rock band Rage Against The Machine.