Audioslave

Audioslave came together in Glendale, California, in 2001, when Soundgarden's singer and guitarist Chris Cornell joined forces with three members of Rage Against the Machine: Tom Morello on guitar, Tim Commerford on bass and backing vocals, and Brad Wilk on drums. On paper it was a supergroup; on record it sounded like something more: 1970s hard rock and 1990s alternative rock melted together, with a groove that owed plenty to '60s funk, soul and R&B.

Like Rage, they made a point of using nothing but guitar, bass, drums and voice. Morello's solos squealed, skittered and stuttered in ways few guitarists would dare attempt, and Cornell's voice, with its enormous range, could climb from a murmur to a howl in the space of a chorus. 2002 was the first proof, with the self-titled debut and a run of songs that rock radio couldn't get enough of: "Cochise" comes crashing in like a helicopter gunship, "Like a Stone" is a slow-burning, haunted ballad, and "Show Me How to Live", "I Am the Highway" and "What You Are" gave listeners plenty more to chew on.

Early reviews called them Soundgarden plus Rage, but by Out of Exile in 2005 critics agreed that Audioslave had found an identity of its own, and that year's "Be Yourself" and "Doesn't Remind Me" sound warmer and more open-hearted than what came before. Along the way they became the first American rock band to play an open-air concert in Cuba. Revelations followed in 2006, the year of "Original Fire".

It ended quickly. In six years they made three albums and earned three Grammy nominations, and in February 2007 Cornell announced he was leaving, which ended the band. They played together once more, at Prophets of Rage's Anti-Inaugural Ball on January 20, 2017, and Cornell's death later that year closed the door on any further reunions.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.