This long-mooted and much-delayed collaboration is a supergroup in the true meaning of the word. When Soundgarden's Chris Cornell comes together with the powerhouse behind Rage Against The Machine - Tim Commerford (bass), Brad Wilk (drums), and Tom Morello (guitars) - you know you're not in for a peaceful hour. Even minus the political clout and personality of Zack de la Rocha, this is rock on an epic Led Zeppelin scale. In other words, how it's meant to be.
Fears that this would be an ego-fuelled jaunt for spent forces are thankfully unfounded. CVs as accomplished as these four would be hard to find if you trawled the rock archive looking for suitable applicants. The unrivalled voice of the grunge generation and a band that dealt in pure rage long before Fred Durst decided to break stuff sounds mouth-watering on paper. It doesn't disappoint.
There's pretty much everything you would hope for from Cornell in terms of lyrics - metaphors for religious grandeur, an obsession with the power of the elements, finding yourself rock bottom - and his voice still shudders with unsurpassable soul and depth. Morello has obviously been dying to treat us to his latest nimble fretwork and duly obliges with a real axe masterclass, while Commerford and Wilk construct a rumbling tsunami track after track.
As a whole, 'Audioslave' is the type of album that prowls menacingly and requires maximum volume at all times. Opener 'Cochise' sets the tone immediately with some almighty riffs and Cornell gives his vocal chords a long-overdue workout. 'Show Me How To Live' and 'Gasoline' are trademark Rage Against Machine, while 'What You Are' has a brooding force and 'Set If Off' is a primeval beast.
If Zep were a Rolls Royce then Audioslave are a top of the range gleaming Mercedes Benz with producer Rick Rubin as the chauffeur. These are men with a passion for perfection, making this record tighter than Robert Plant's leathers. Its sheer velocity bucks current trends of lo-fi production, meaning it'll be construed as unfashionable but at the same time those who've been crying out for such a polished rock album will be overjoyed.
Whether this is a one-off or the start of a beautiful relationship, Audioslave have dwarfed any rock uprising of the past few years to become the first truly great rock band of the 21st century.
