Revelations

Performer: Audioslave
Engineer: Nick DiDia; Billy Bowers; Nick DiDia; Billy Bowers
Producer: Brendan O'Brien; Brendan O'Brien
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Audioslave: Tim Commerford (electric bass); Chris Cornell, Tom Morello, Brad Wilk. Personnel: Chris Cornell (vocals); Tom Morello (guitar); Brad Wilk (drums). Recording information: Henson Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA. Photographer: Danny Clinch. The hard-driving supergroup's third album is a seething mix of rock and R&B in the grand old fashion of Led Zeppelin, and although singer Chris Cornell is no Robert Plant, the band's unified musical vision belies the usual music biz scenario of warring oversized superstar egos. The album-opening title track is a superbly confident hunk of riff-rock, and Tom Morello's wah-wah guitar pyrotechnics on "Sound of a Gun" likewise conjure heavy rock's early-1970s golden years. There's also genuine political rage here, with the pounding beat and insistent chorus of "The Original Fire" heralding a call to arms (while Morello's solo is an eccentric gem), and songs like the quietly seething "Wide Awake" focusing the band's anger at institutionalized inaction in New Orleans after the devastation of hurricane Katrina. Though "Nothing Left to Say But Goodbye" and "Moth," the album's two downtempo tracks, are subtle, they're no less intense, thanks to Cornell's committed vocal delivery. Unsurprisingly, though, the band sounds most at home when it's rocking, whether on the snaky funk of "Broken City" or the full-frontal assault of "One and the Same." Given the short distance separating Audioslave's second album, Out of Exile, in 2005 and their third, Revelations, in 2006, it's easy to assume that the Rage Against the Machine/Soundgarden supergroup has finally turned into an actual working band -- either that or the group is working hard to get to the end of their contract so they can go their separate ways (a suspicion stoked by the flurry of Chris Cornell-centric press surrounding its release, including the announcement that he's recording a solo album and will be singing the theme song for the new James Bond film, Casino Royale, on his own). Whether or not either theory is proven true over time doesn't change the fact that Revelations builds upon Out of Exile, sounding even more like the work of a genuine band than its predecessor. In light of this record, Out of Exile feels driven by Cornell, which itself was a shift away from the Rage-driven debut. Here, the two are integrated fully into a distinctive sound, one that's tight and focused, one that's aggressive but not overly heavy. Also, Audioslave has become increasingly rhythm-driven instead of riff-driven; even on the slower songs and heavy rockers, the pulse and pull of the rhythm defines the song more than the riff. Given this emphasis on rhythm, it's not a surprise that Audioslave displays an overt funk and soul influence here, ranging from the hard funk of "One and the Same" to the Motown homage of "Original Fire." This not only makes Revelations sound like the result of a working band, one that likes to jam together, but it also gives it a lighter feel in its tone, a feeling that Cornell runs with on his lyrics and singing, which are considerably less tortured and brooding than before. All this doesn't necessarily make Revelations a fun album -- making music is serious work for Audioslave and they expect the same from their audience -- but it does make for their most colorful, diverse, and consistent record yet. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Rolling Stone (p.105) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "The funk that always came naturally to Morello, bassist Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk in Rage also comes alive here in their heavy emphatic swagger." Entertainment Weekly (p.159) - "Returning to the guitar-as-turntable style he patented with Rage, Morello pulls the band out if its generic aggro-rock rut." -- Grade: B

Like Velvet Revolver (but with a more political bent), Audioslave appeared in the mid-2000s as a post-grunge supergroup pounding out stripped-down heavy rock. The band is spearheaded by Chris Cornell, whose wailing vocals formerly graced archetypal '90s grunge band Soundgarden, and erstwhile Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello. The band's self-titled 2003 debut album made Audioslave an instant success, proving that there was still some life left in the hard-rock template.

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