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Album Review: Audioslave, "Out of Exile" (Interscope/Epic)
Mellow cut "Be Yourself," the first single from "Out of Exile," serves as a good indicator of what fans should expect from Audioslave 's sophomore album.
Sonically, guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk still retain their unique, Rage-esque sound--particularly Morello, whose signature mix of Hendrix-influenced shredding and patented record-scratch technique is stamped all over the new set. In the three years since their debut with former Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell, though, they've learned to make music more suited to the singer's dynamic style than the kind of explosions they spent a decade setting off behind Rage vocalist Zack de La Rocha's hip-hop-infused, incite-the-masses delivery.
The result is a collection of mostly mid-tempo rockers that are punctuated with a few concussion grenades, such as "Man or Animal"--which features one of Morello's most ferocious solos ever--and successful experiments such as "Doesn't Remind Me," an upbeat, country-tinged number.
Hardcore Rage fans will likely be disappointed by the album's comparatively less-aggressive stance, but Cornell followers have plenty to feast on here, and the more subtle approach allows Morello, Wilk and Commerford to show of some impressive chops that might have gone unnoticed in Rage's ball-of-fire presentation.
