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| Birth Name(s) : Audioslave |
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Full Audioslave Biography
Audioslave was an American rock supergroup that formed in Los Angeles, California in 2001. It consisted of ex-Soundgarden frontman and rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell and the former instrumentalists of Rage Against the Machine; Tom Morello (lead guitar), Tim Commerford (bass and backing vocals) and Brad Wilk (drums). Critics initially described Audioslave as an amalgamation of Rage Against the Machine and Soundgarden, but by the band's second album, Out of Exile, noted that it had established a separate identity.
"Cochise" (2002)"Cochise", the band's first single features a unique intro, typical of Tom Morello, that was compared to the sound of a helicopter.Problems listening to the file? See media help.
"Like a Stone" was chosen as the second single from Audioslave, and was released in early 2003 with an accompanying music video. It was the highest charting single from the album, peaking at #1 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks charts. It was also certified gold by the RIAA, making it Audioslave's most successful single ever. The third single, "Show Me How to Live" was not without controversy. Its music video paid homage to a 1971 road movie, Vanishing Point, using actual footage from the film. The video was banned from MTV, reportedly because it shows band members in a high-speed car chase running police cars and motorcycles off the road. The band's first DVD, also titled Audioslave, was released on July 29, 2003.
In 2004, Audioslave was among the nominees for the 46th Grammy Awards: "Like a Stone" was nominated for "Best Hard Rock Performance" and Audioslave was nominated for "Best Rock Album". The band did not win in either category; the Grammies were awarded to Evanescence and Foo Fighters, respectively. They spent the rest of 2004 on break from touring, and working on the second album. This also gave Morello time to concentrate on his solo project, The Nightwatchman, and take an active part in political activities, most prominently in the work of Axis of Justice. Cornell had time to focus on his personal life; after his divorce from his first wife was finalized, he married Vicky Karayiannis, a Paris-based publicist he met during the first European Audioslave tour.
Audioslave's second DVD, entitled Live in Cuba, containing the May 6 concert in Havana, Cuba, was released on October 11, 2005. It was certified platinum in less than two months.
Cornell decided to delay the Revelations-tour in support of the new album until 2007, because he wanted to "let the album come out for awhile" and concentrate on his second solo album. The rest of the band went along, Morello also revealed his plans to release his first solo album (see below) in early 2007. The second, and final single from the album, "Revelations" was released in October 2006 with an accompanying music video a month later.
Cornell's lyrics were mostly apolitical, as opposed to de la Rocha's. Morello referred to them as "haunted, existential poetry". They were characterized by his trademark cryptic approach, often dealing with the themes of existentialism,, love, hedonism, spirituality and Christianity. Critics were not often impressed with Cornell's lyrical work; its detractors usually deemed his songs clichéd and meaningless.
Cornell's battle with drug addiction and alcoholism was a defining factor in the writing and recording process. Even though the singer admitted that he was "never able to write effectively", while drinking, and attended rehab after recording the debut album, Morello stated Revelations was "the first record he (Cornell) didn't smoke, drink or take drugs through the recording".
While Rage Against the Machine's music was politically influenced, Audioslave's originally was not. Chris Cornell stated he did not want to become the new singer of Rage Against the Machine or any political band, but he would play benefits the other band members wanted to play. Despite his reluctance to write political lyrics, he himself never discounted the possibility; he already touched upon political issues in Audioslave's "Set It Off", a song inspired by 1999's WTO riots (the "Battle of Seattle"), then later wrote an anti-war song, "Sound of a Gun", and what Morello called "the most political song Audioslave's ever written", "Wide Awake" for Revelations. "Wide Awake" was an attack on the Bush administration's failure to act over the consequences of Hurricane Katrina.
Lead singer Chris Cornell released a solo album, entitled Euphoria Morning, in 1999, in between leaving Soundgarden and forming Audioslave. He continued his solo career 7 years later, when he started writing songs for a second album during mid 2006, and was also asked to record the theme song to the 21st James Bond film, Casino Royale. Cornell wrote "You Know My Name", jointly with David Arnold, which debuted on November 13, 2006. It is the first Bond theme not to be included on its film's soundtrack album. However, it was featured on his second solo album, Carry On, released on June 5, 2007. |
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