Audioslave
Out Of Exile

THE REVIEW

And here we are in front of the second effort of the band, 3/4 from Los Angeles and 1/4 from Seattle. They had left us with the melancholic "The Last Remaining Light" in our ears, a peculiar choice considering the previous works of Rage Against The Machine: it was their custom to close their LPs with energetic tracks like "Freedom," "Year Of The Boomerang," and "War Within A Breath," but the presence of singer Chris Cornell, ex-Soundgarden, has somewhat overturned the habits of Tom Morello & Co. "Out Of Exile" is the much-talked-about return of a quartet that debuted as a "superband" in 2003 and now seeks to establish itself as a band "almost" independent of its origins.

"Almost," because the riff of the first track "Your Time Has Come" echoes the old "Cochise" with its typical Morellian notes. However, the pace of the song is decidedly more piercing than its predecessor and sounds more like a danceable hard rock rather than post-RATM, thanks to the contribution of a Chris Cornell in great shape. Then comes the title track, "Out Of Exile," with a Led Zeppelin-style riff à la "No Quarter" crossed with a simplified "Spoonman" by Soundgarden: a decent track that, for Audioslave, feels a bit like a daily routine. Next is "Be Yourself," the first single from the album, which at times follows the same vein as "Like a Stone," the fifth track of the debut LP. We move on to "Doesn't Remind Me," a pleasant ballad that reveals itself to be rocking in the chorus with a Tom Morello who yields to the temptation of accompaniment chords rather than his usual explosive riffs. Then we arrive at "Drown Me Slowly," which takes us back to the '70s with its typical rock&roll blues-influenced rhythm: not a bad song, but Mr. Morello decides not to reinvent himself and, quite out of place, mistakes the track for "Bulls On Parade," reprising the famous solo/scratch on his guitar now labeled "Soul Power" instead of "Arm The Homeless" like the good old days. What a pity... for both things...

"Heaven's Dead" is another touching ballad probably born from the mind of the legendary Cornell, giving us beautiful emotions and excellent lyrics. Moving forward, we find "The Worm," perhaps the darkest track on the album (complete with a Morellian riff and noise solo), which doesn't renounce the usual blues roots and a deliberately ungraceful Cornell shouting in the chorus. "Man Or Animal" is the fastest and most aggressive track on the album, boasting the best solo of "Out Of Exile," while in "Yesterday To Tomorrow," Chris lets his voice dissolve into the melody with a dissolving reverb. "Dandelion" further highlights once again the good performance of the Seattle singer, casting a bit of a shadow on the rest of the group. Next, "#1 Zero" begins, which, despite a melancholic and grotesque start, takes an aggressive rock turn at around 2 minutes and 30 seconds...

And finally, here is "The Curse," a love song that doesn't really stand out except for the choice of closure, surprising everyone with the last minor chord...

"Out Of Exile" tries not to replicate the first Audioslave album, and perhaps it succeeds, albeit only partially. It may definitely sound like something already heard and not particularly exciting, yet Cornell's commitment to songwriting and the cohesion of the band as a group of tight-knit musicians remain impeccable. A note of merit goes to Tim Commerford, a bassist generally mocked for his perhaps too basic and probably uninnovative style: poor Timmy C. is often overshadowed by the presence of his companion Tom, but despite this, he contributes a lot by supporting the guitarist with a good dose of overdrive, especially during solos, and gives the riffs a warmer and fuller sound, along with some small variations on the main themes. Brad Wilk, for his part, offers no variation to his now-famous 4/4, but at least he exploits the sound of the whole drum set, unlike the first album, and indulges in some stop and go here and there...

If one didn't know the origins of the quartet's members, the songs would probably be enjoyable even for the most skeptical listeners. Unfortunately, one cannot ignore the past, it's true, but what can be done is to listen to this CD as a pastime, in the car, or as background music at home. For inconsolable fans of RATM and Soundgarden, it seems there is the possibility to hear songs like "Killing In The Name" and "Black Hole Sun" live again on June 2nd in Bologna... We await with hope!