Audioslave is the latest moniker of the infamous Rage/Cornell collaboration - the former members of Rage Against the Machine (lead singer Zack de la Rocha left the band in 2000, as you may recall) working with Chris Cornell, formerly of Soundgarden in a somewhat experimental project formerly known as Civilian. The group has yet to release an album, or even a single, but it seems that a debut album is nearing completion. Cornell left the band sometime around July in a fit of rage (how ironic), nixing their much anticipated Ozzfest performance. In the process, thirteen studio demos were leaked to the public by some intern, and are currently available for download all over the internet, especially KaZaA. Radio stations across the country took this opportunity and ran with it, playing the bootlegs in marathon fasion until receiving cease and desist letters from the very pissed lawyers of the very pissed band. Cornell, deciding to kiss and make up, settled his differences with the rage guys and re-joined the band. If that weren't enough, it turns out that the name Civilian had already been taken by a group of nobodys, so to avoid more legal gridlock, they hastily decided to change their name to Audioslave. The group could be releasing an album as soon as November, which means we could expect a single as early as late August or early October.
The group consists of:
As you can see, the band hasn't even put out a music video, yet they have enough controversy for a one-hour VH1 Behind the Music special. Just wait until their career really gets going!
This node will be updated periodically as new information becomes available.
Update: Holy poop! It's here! Kage Prototype has alerted me to the fact that Audioslave will be releasing their self-titled debut on November 19, and they even have a web site at audioslavemusic.com. Their first single from the album, "Cochise," is the first track of the above-mentioned stolen studio demo album. We could be seeing a music video by the end of October.
Update, 10/9/2002:I just today heard Cochise on Y100, so the single has been sent out to radio stations across the country. This of course means that if a music video hasn't already been completed, it should only be a few weeks before we see one on MTV2. We probably won't see it on MTV, because everybody knows that MTV no longer has anything to do with music or rock videos, but I digress.
The tracklisting from the album is as follows:
- Cochise
- Show Me How To Live
- Gasoline
- What You Are
- Like A Stone
- Set It Off
- Shadow On The Sun
- I Am The Highway
- Exploder
- Hypnotize
- Bring 'em Back Alive
- Light My Way
- Getaway Car
- The Last Remaining Light
Update: The Cochise music video premiered on MTV2 on October 24, 2002. I unfortunately missed it, for which I can barely forgive myself. I'll have to watch a bunch more MTV2, and look for it on KaZaA.
More news bulletins as they happen. I'll probably restructure this entire w/u January 2003, two months or so after their album release.
Update January 18, 2003: No, I haven't forgotten.
Update March 27, 2003: But I am lazy.