When you mix one of the most iconic grunge vocalists of the 1990s and the non-singing members of one of the most riff-heavy alternative juggernauts from the same era, what do you get? RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE fronted by Chris Cornell? Not quite. While the 2002 debut by AUDIOSLAVE might have sounded like that, on occasion, their sophomore full-length “Out Of Exile,” released on May 23rd, 2005, internationally, and a day later in the United States, showed us a band with a unique voice of their own. Some of the heavier bangers on the debut rocked with authority, sure, but on this follow-up endeavor, the band proved, perhaps ironically, to rule supremely with the slower, more melancholic songs, almost as though reflecting on some of those slow-crushing gems in Chris Cornell‘s earlier résumé. If I were inclined to be a wise-crack about it, I might even dub the debut as RATM with grunge vocals, whereas the sophomore effort would be more like funked-up SOUNDGARDEN. Of course, things aren’t exactly this black-and-white when you really put your ear to it. Released through Epic and Interscope, “Out Of Exile” was the band’s first album to chart at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, so even with the band not having exorcised the ghosts from their past entirely, they must have done something right.
Right off the bat, “Your Time Has Come” kicks off the album with the riff-heavy bravado of the debut, recalling the song “Cochise” quite strongly. The song is a picture-perfect example of the band’s two strengths – Cornell‘s powerhouse vocals and guitarist Tom Morello‘s signature riffing. With the tempo slowed down a notch, this song could have found a good home on some RATM album, or with the tempo slowed even further, on some of those seminal SOUNDGARDEN albums in the 1990s. In my ears, this uptempo version would not have felt right with either band, really.
That said, the title track comes off funky just like those revered RATM classics, so it’s down to Cornell‘s hard-rock belting to dissolve that impression. However, one of the songs that makes the album tower over the legacy of both SOUNDGARDEN and RATM is the power ballad, “Be Yourself.” Released as the first single off the album, I remember that it did feel a bit lackluster at the time. Then again, I’ve never been big on ballads, 20 years ago, even less so. The song has grown on me over the years, though, and now, I consider it one of the absolute highlights of this whole endeavor. Simple but effective. The same cannot be said about the other ballad, “Heaven’s Dead,” I’m afraid.
One thing that I completely missed when the album came out was the rather obvious LED ZEPPELIN influence in some of the songs. Yeah, sure, SOUNDGARDEN was practically the LED ZEPPELIN of the 1990s, but still… For instance, “Doesn’t Remind Me” is rather reminiscent of the way those British heavy-metal pioneers fooled around with old folk songs. This one is original, but the vibe is there. Then, the guitar riffs of “The Worm” summon the ghost of many a LED ZEPPELIN riffer. Not even Morello‘s effect-driven guitar gimmicks can dissolve that feeling. There are a few more high-octane riffers, “Man or Animal” and “Dandelion,” resonating with quite a similar vibe.
Judging by the online forums, one of the most beloved songs in this selection seems to be “Drown Me Slowly” – and for a bloody good reason, too! The dynamic interplay between the soft sections and heavy riffs works wonders. If the riffs resonate with a somewhat SOUNDGARDEN-esque air, the guitar solos with all the scratching effects echo RATM classics such as “Bullet in the Head” and “Bulls on Parade.” So, you get the best of both worlds. Then again, the coda oozes thick LED ZEPPELIN vibes as well.
Another highlight of the album, “Yesterday to Tomorrow,” traverses off the riff-beaten path. The song is not exactly a ballad but more like a slow-crushing, atmospheric grunge epic – and by “epic” I mean the song’s atmosphere, not its length. In less than 5 minutes, the song paints a poignant, mental widescreen landscape with quite minimal means. The verses rely largely on minimal guitar textures undulating upon a robust bass ostinato. Morello‘s guitar solo in this song is also something to single out – here, he does not resort to his usual effects-heavy gimmicks but rather drops a haunting solo in the old-school way. The penultimate track, “#1 Zero,” uses a somewhat similar song template in its verses, just less efficiently, albeit the kick-ass choruses make up for that quite splendidly.
The only track that I would have left out completely is the closer, “The Curse.” Instead of bringing a sense of closure or an epic finale, it just drags on for 5 minutes. Still, with only two misses out of the album’s twelve songs altogether, I would say this album slaps. To paraphrase the drummer, Brad Wilk, as articulated in an interview shortly before the album release, on this sophomore undertaking this supergroup sounds like a tight, cohesive unit, like a real band, whereas the debut sounded perhaps a bit like a joint venture of rather distinct 1990s grunge and alternative-rock luminaries with certain history attached. On their second album, AUDIOSLAVE began to establish their own identity, as opposed to merely being RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE fronted by Chris Cornell, which was how some critics had written off the debut, or even SOUNDGARDEN with some funkier elements. I’d say AUDIOSLAVE‘s sophomore effort is a fine addition to your collection if you’re into grunge or hard rock with a twist, still 20 years after its initial release. Time has treated the album rather gently. The best songs are nothing short of timeless classics by now, and even the weaker moments sound better than most of today’s mainstream rock.
Written by Jani Lehtinen
Tracklist
- Your Time Has Come
- Out of Exile
- Be Yourself
- Doesn’t Remind Me
- Drown Me Slowly
- Heaven’s Dead
- The Worm
- Man or Animal
- Yesterday to Tomorrow
- Dandelion
- #1 Zero
- The Curse
Lineup
Chris Cornell – vocals
Tom Morello – guitars
Tim Commerford – bass
Brad Wilk – drums
Label
Epic / Interscope
