With all due respect to Robert Plant, Axl Rose and Bon Scott, Chris Cornell is the GOAT of pure rock-and-roll vocalists. In fact, I would argue it’s not even very close. Along with his incredible four-octave range, Cornell’s ability to hit that distorted gravel scream in an explosive chorus after an intimate verse delivered in his low register gives me goosebumps. The emotional range he encompasses was (and still is!) simply unprecedented– there was no one better at hitting you like a ton of bricks and making you feel what he was feeling than Cornell.
When Audioslave came together in 2002 for their debut album it would have been easy for all that star power to burn a little to bright. Adding Cornell (Soundgarden) to the absolutely kick-ass former lineup of Rage Against The Machine members featuring Tom Morello (guitar), Tim Commerford (bass), and Brad Wilk (drums) sounds great on paper, but the supergroup concept only works if there’s some intense chemistry there, especially based off the fact creative differences sunk their former groups.
And boy was the chemistry there. Audioslave kicks off the album with one of the greatest five song runs in rock history, with the absolutely blistering “Cochise” throwing haymakers at the opening bell, the pained “Show Me How To Live” grinding through a verse into a hellfire chorus, “Gasoline” doing its best impression of its title, a frantic “What You Are” hitting its crescendo with a classic Tom Morello solo, and the rock-ballad esque “Like A Stone” filling you full with nostalgia and desperation.
That five song run hits so incredibly hard it’s almost easy to forget all the other great moments on the record– the wavy tremelo chorus in “I Am The Highway” and its subsequent sentimental guitar solo, the a cappella end to “Exploder”, the dreamy guitar introduction on “Shadow on the Sun” underneath Cornell’s poetry, the ominious choir-like refrain during the chorus of “Hypnotize” under a pulsing electro house beat, and the catchy almost pop-song hook of “Getaway Car”.
It’s frankly an embarassment of riches, and undoubtedly one of the greatest hard rock records of all-time.
Standout Songs: “Cochise”, “Show Me How too Live”, “Like A Stone”, “Shadow on the Sun”
