With their third album, "Revelations," Audioslave has entered dangerous-yet-familiar territory: they are a formulaic rock band.
This has happened to legions of bands before Audioslave, and will continue to happen as long as major labels and millions of dollars are in the picture. On the album's first single, "Original Fire," we find the band in a funky state of mind, much more so than on their self-titled debut or last year's "Out of Exile."
The problem is that this funk is not new at all: guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford, and drummer Brad Wilk created the sound in their previous band, Rage Against the Machine. And lead singer/rock God Chris Cornell (ex-Soundgarden) is not pushing the three to new levels, or at least he has not as of yet.
On the title track and "One and the Same," the band sounds like a juggernaut. You can bob your head to Morello's riffs, and the rhythm section of Commerford and Wilk is break-neck, as always. Unfortunately, Morello's effects-heavy, wank-fests during the solos take away from the songs. He is now in danger of becoming a caricature of his guitar-playing self.
Speaking of caricatures, there is the album's slow song, "Until We Fall." This track contains the same melody as "I am the Highway," off Audioslave's first album.
Rage and Soundgarden were two cutting edge bands, giving birth to a fresh sound. Audioslave's "Revelations" is akin to a Muzak soundtrack at some rock and roll dentist's office. Easy on the ears? Absolutely. Groundbreaking? Certainly not.
This has happened to legions of bands before Audioslave, and will continue to happen as long as major labels and millions of dollars are in the picture. On the album's first single, "Original Fire," we find the band in a funky state of mind, much more so than on their self-titled debut or last year's "Out of Exile."
The problem is that this funk is not new at all: guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford, and drummer Brad Wilk created the sound in their previous band, Rage Against the Machine. And lead singer/rock God Chris Cornell (ex-Soundgarden) is not pushing the three to new levels, or at least he has not as of yet.
On the title track and "One and the Same," the band sounds like a juggernaut. You can bob your head to Morello's riffs, and the rhythm section of Commerford and Wilk is break-neck, as always. Unfortunately, Morello's effects-heavy, wank-fests during the solos take away from the songs. He is now in danger of becoming a caricature of his guitar-playing self.
Speaking of caricatures, there is the album's slow song, "Until We Fall." This track contains the same melody as "I am the Highway," off Audioslave's first album.
Rage and Soundgarden were two cutting edge bands, giving birth to a fresh sound. Audioslave's "Revelations" is akin to a Muzak soundtrack at some rock and roll dentist's office. Easy on the ears? Absolutely. Groundbreaking? Certainly not.
