Audioslave: Chris Cornell (vocals); Tom Morello (guitar); Tim Commerford (bass); Brad Wilk (drums).
Recorded at Cello Studios, Royaltone Studios, Burbank, Akadamie Mathematique Of Philosophical Sound Research, Los Angeles, California; Audio Litho, Studio X, Seattle, Washington.
AUDIOSLAVE was nominated for the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Rock Album.
"Like A Stone" was nominated for the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance.
A modern day super-group composed of ex-members of heavy rock titans Soundgarden and Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave was subject to some pretty high fan expectations. Luckily, the group delivers just what the doctor ordered: a seamless mix of the styles that made the individual members famous. Basically a stoner rock record par excellence, AUDIOSLAVE strips the genre down to its core, serving up one pile-driving riff after another with minimal, but perfectly placed, production flash. In any given song, the band repeats said riffs with even more bone-crushing attitude each time.
Just when the listener thinks his/her head will go numb from too much stud-rock low E-string twanging and Montrose-era Sammy Hagar-esque wailing, however, Audioslave wisely throws in a ballad. Sure, it's a proven rock formula, but these guys are professionals fully in control of the situation; AUDIOSLAVE bristles with a no-frills, offhand intensity that throws down and reminds those silly nu-metal poseurs what heavy rock is all about.

• Released: 03/02/10
• Format: Vinyl