Audioslave

01/09/2003 10:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Bill Holdship

Rage Against The Machine was one of the most irritating bands of the '90s. At times, Soundgarden could be almost as irritating. The main reason Rage was so annoying, however, was Zack de la Rocha's naive and often just plain stupid (he once bashed Santa Claus at a Christmas benefit concert, for goshsakes) political agenda. Tom Morello was the brain behind that group, if there was one. And when you think about it, Chris Cornell was always the least irritating thing about Soundgarden. In many ways, then, Audioslave is the best of both bands. Cornell's lyrics remain personal, full of angst with no ridiculous comments for the already initiated about how world politics, like, suck, man. And the music is often very good, full of hooks, melodies, and power. Morello is fantastic, a real guitar demon who invokes everyone from Pink Floyd to the '70s funk masters. And the material recalls obvious classic influences from Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath to Jane's Addiction's first album. "I Am The Highway" is the kind of classic power ballad a band like Free would've once relished. It's a great tune, and this turns out to be a most promising new band.