Release Date: Sep 5, 2006
Label: Epic/Interscope
Genres: Heavy Metal, Post-Grunge, Alternative Metal, Hard Rock
Number Of Tracks: 12
While Revelations does have its imperfections, it still is an amazing listen for Cornell?s stronger-than-ever vocals and those instances of genius that Morello makes look so easy.
Featured review by:
UG Team, on september 05, 2006 9 of 11 people found this review helpful
Sound: Audioslave is a little more funk and little less rock these days. On the band’s latest release Revelations, there does seem to be a turn more towards a rhythm and blues genre, which is an interesting move given the musicians’ collective histories in harder-edged bands like Rage Against The Machine and Soundgarden. Of course, RATM had plenty of funkified moments, but it always maintained a very power-driven base. Revelations is not necessarily a disappointment, but an intensity is missing that fueled Audioslave’s earlier hits like “Cochise.”
The newer sound should not scare off steadfast Audioslave fans, and when the CD is at it's funkiest, it actually hits it's peak. But while the musical talents of vocalist Chris Cornell, guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford, and drummer Brad Wilk are very much present on the latest CD, the songwriting on many of the tracks still lack the same diversity of their collective former bands. While there are moments of genius on Revelations (take a listen to the guitar solo on “Original Fire,” which sounds like the instrument is laughing up a storm), there are still some unoriginal and monotonous points along the way.
The best song on Revelations is “One And The Same,” a funky track that is highlighted by Morello’s wah pedal and recalls some of the most memorable riffs from back in the RATM days. What cannot be denied is the mesmerizing ability of Morello -- as usual. In this case, Morello begins with his trademark wah, but then pulls out a clean relatively distortion-free guitar solo that features brilliant runs. The beautiful contrast between the funky chorus/verse and the straightforward solo, along with just all-around good songwriting makes “One And The Same” instantly memorable.
A weak point in many Audioslave songs is the tendency to get repetitive. On Revelations, this problem area is most evident in the choruses. Even with clever rhythmic backing, when you hear the song title repeated incessantly it can get rather annoying. In songs like “Sound Of A Gun” and “Jewel Of The Summertime,” Cornell gets a little bit carried away with relaying the song titles and the tunes immediately become trite. If the band get as creative on the choruses as the solos, Audioslave could enter a whole new phase in their career. // 8
Lyrics and Singing: The lyrics are often the reason why the songs start to falter on Revelations. While the verses might start off promisingly enough, the choruses tend to revert back to a monotonous pattern that is just hard to ignore.
An example of the trend is in the song “Somedays,” which begins with interesting lyrical images that have a political feel to them. Cornell sings, “Where they make the oil and street; Is where you stand and where you sleep; Black and whites along the lights; Plain clothes and Miranda Rights.” But the unique thoughts take a turn for the mundane in the chorus. Cornell goes on to sing, “Somedays, somedays, somedays (Somedays); Just ain't so easy; Somedays, somedays, somedays (Somedays); somedays (Somedays); Just ain’t so easy.” There are just so many times you can hear the chorus before you forget all about any of the original lyrics in the verse.
To be fair, the CD does have some songs that do stray from the repetitive format and are successful in doing so. In “Revelations,” Cornell offers a plea to find out what someone knows about his life. He sings, “I am haunted when I am sleeping; Try to give without receiving; It's in the apple bite; It's in the days and nights; In the afterlife we'll reap.” The lyrics are quite strong on the title track, making the music that accompanies it even stronger. // 7
Impression: Audioslave is a band full of tremendous ability, and listening to the new ideas that Tom Morello comes up with on the guitar is always a worthwhile experience. Whether the man is toggling between two pickups or using a wah pedal to tackle to enhance the rhythm-and-blues feel of Revelations, Morello always adds a creative shot in the arm. While that creativity can indeed be heard many times on the latest CD, the band’s songwriting as a whole is not completely satisfying this time around.
The band still has a few very well-written tracks, and those are actually the ones where a purer funk sound -- without the metal twist -- is in motion. The main problem is that the band can get in a monotonous slump at times, and a talented group of musicians like Audioslave are capable of a lot more. While Revelations does have it's imperfections, it still is an amazing listen for Cornell’s stronger-than-ever vocals and those instances of genius that Morello makes look so easy. // 8
Reviewed by:
Fossilized Love, on september 05, 2006 6 of 7 people found this review helpful
Sound: Only a year after Out of Exile's release, Cornell and the Rage gang reveal their 3rd studio album, Revelations. Unlike the previous releases, Revelations takes a big leap into the direction of funky rock, much like classic Rage Against the Machine, only this time, there's a wider variety of sound and innovation. Tom Morello stated in an interview that Revelations is a fusion of the british rock gods Led Zeppelin and the American funk band Earth, Wind & Fire, quite a very unorthodox combination. Albeit, Morello hit the nail dead-on with his description.
The production and sound is clean and crisp as always, populated with Morello's trademark guitar riffs and effect pedal-happy solos. A notable presence is Brad Wilk's drumming, that compared to past albums, it is much more refined with a plethora of semi-complex patterns and heavy fills. Tim Commerford completes the rhythm section with his great bass playing. What sets him apart from other bassists, is that rather than just follow whatever riff Morello is playing, Commerford branches off into his own licks at given times, rarely seen by most bassists, whom play step-by-step with the rhythm guitarist constantly. Chris Cornell, fronting one of today's and yesterday's most powerful voices in rock and grunge, still has his qualities seen in the first two records, only this time, he sticks to a more bluesy and soulful style of singing, thus the connection to Earth, Wind & Fire. Profoundly, time has taken it's toll on Cornell's vocal chords, rendering him unable to hit the high notes that were present in the Soundgarden days, it's almost like a nail in his coffin, considering his high-pitched wailing were what set Cornell apart from a lot of vocalists.
Revelations is one of the best openers in hard rock history, shortly followed by Sound of a Gun, in which the nostalgic Rage Against the Machine-reminiscent riff pounds throughout each chorus. Broken City and Somedays both stand out from the rest of the album, the former with a somewhat haunting presence, and the latter sounding like an anthem to the days we just can't stand. Nearing the end of the album is possibly the best written song, Nothing Left to Say but Goodbye, full of nothing but powerful lyrics and surreal melodies. Finishing off Revelations is Moth, in which Cornell takes you into a moth's perspective throughout the epic closer track. // 9
Lyrics and Singing: Lyrically, Cornell still stands tall. His unique writing has always been a huge part of his style; keeping things subtle and discreet with his words, rather than blurting them out with no real messages. Revelations is chockful of classic Cornell, hitting various topics and themes, which I'll leave the listeners to figure out for themselves, rather than ruin the self interpretation of each song. // 10
Impression: Revelations is one of this year's best albums, and Audioslave doesn't fail to show that they put in a great deal of effort, devotion and feeling into it. To say it's better than the previous two albums wouldn't be right, seeing as how each one has it's own distinct style and sound. Revelations is pure gold for the kind of release it is, and will be looked back upon as a huge milestone for Audioslave's career. // 9
Reviewed by:
santhony1987, on september 05, 2006 3 of 3 people found this review helpful
Sound: As far as sound goes, this album has it all. Compared to the past audioslave CDs, this one is definately the loudest. Rick Rubin should never be alowed to enter the saem room as these guys ever again considering Brendan O'Brien (Rage Against The Machine producer) has helped them achieve without doubt, their best album to date. The riff-rocking quartet has evolved quickly over their short-lived career as audioslave, dabbing in styles of blues and soft-rock but settling in a funky rock-groove blended with some soul-full singing, at least for now. And I'm very happy. // 10
Lyrics and Singing: Although the lyrics themselves arn't as catchy as the actual melodies, Chris Cornell has created yet again some very fashionable vocals over the tight picture that the ex-Rage members never failed to deliver. The album consists of mild political views which have not hurt the innocence of Audioslave's sound but gived it that certain "punch" it needed to put the skeptics in their place. // 8
Impression: The best audioslave album yet. One of the best artist releases at this current moment too ima. Although the single "Original Fire" is easily the worst song on the album, someone decided to put it as the first single which hasn't hurt yet I suppose. I like every other song more than "Original fire". The opening track "Revelations" has a massive kick in to a driving hard rock groove that contrasts during the chorus with some sustained melody. Then we're drenched with more funky bass with "One and the same" followed by the largely controversial and anticipated "Sound Of A Gun" which makes all Rage Against The Machine fans smile, unwillingly if they have to. "Until We Fall" and "Original Fire" then hold the album's worst moment but "Broken City" get's us back on that balls-out attitude just intime for "Somedays" to make us remember how beautiful life is. "Shape Of Things To Come" and "Jewel Of The Summertime" both weren't very soft, which I thought they would be, so that left more room for good thoughts there. "Wide Awake" comes with a strange chord change pattern but still gets you tapping your toes easily. "Nothing Left To Say But Goodbye" contrasts from the closing track giving a nice build up effect of again great melody where "Moth" provides a huge, dark, apocalyptic-like end to a great album. I admit on being brief but these are all my personal opinions anyway. Reviews like this should just tell you if it's good or crap. This IS their best album. I bought it today (2nd september), listened to it once, and needed to tell everyone how good it is. // 10
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on november 07, 2006 3 of 5 people found this review helpful
Sound: I had to write this review. I just had to. And I know I'm gonna take a lot of crap for this review, but someone must speak the truth! I'll be honest, I'm a big fan of Audioslave. Probably one of my top 10 bands, but this album was actually dissapointing. The first listen, I didn't like the album at all, but after relistened to it, I thought the sound was decent. Tom's got his usual handful of cool riffs, and a few impressive solos (the others are quite odd). Chris Cornell has a great singing voice, but it seems that through out most of the album he seems to be singing in the same key, causing some repetiveness on the way. There's no real catchy songs here. Nothing really powerful that just drives to your heart like Shadow on the Sun or Like a Stone. And there's nothing really soulful like Be Yourself here. Wide Awake is the high point of this album, and it's good, but it certainly can't carry the rest of the album. And Audioslave on this album have taken a turn into funk town, but it's not really good funk. It's okay funk. // 6
Lyrics and Singing: Chris buddy, you repeat yourself a lot on this album. The choruses of Somedays and Jewel in the Summertime go on and on. But other than that the lyrics seem sufficient, but there's no real strong point on this album. And Chris and the rest of the band have gone a little political here in Wide Awake, critizing the Bush administration for their lateness in the involvement of the Katrina disaster. The lyrics are decent, and the best is probably Moth in which Cornell says: "Don't fly around your fire anymore. Been burned and fallen down, so many times before." But that's it! Sigh. // 6
Impression: The album is quite honestly average to me. The only real songs that stand out are Bullet From a Gun, Original Fire, and Wide Awake, but they're decent at best. Nothing to get twisted over. Like I said, I'm a big Audioslave fan, both their debut album and Out Of Exile were great, but this one came as a big dissapointment to me. Sorry guys. Maybe next time. I'm pulling for you. // 6
Reviewed by:
Uber-rocker, on march 31, 2007 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Sound: I've been aware of Audioslave's existence for a while now, but only recently decided to cough up the 30 bucks for one of their albums. I have to say I've loved their music since 'Cochise' first hit the airwaves, and on top of that have thoroughly enjoyed Soundgarden and Rage Against The Machine's music for longer! Because Audioslave is 3/4 Rage and 1/4 'Garden, the only obvious difference is going to be the vocals of Chris Cornell, and he has a very soulful voice, as opposed to Zack's aggressive rap, and Chris uses his voice extremely well on 'Revelations'. Tom's guitaring is just as good as anything else you're likely to hear, as is Brad's drumming and Tim's bass playing, all very funky. One thing I noticed about 'Revelations', and I'm not sure if it's the same as other 'Slave records, but the songs seem to be very light on guitars, especially through the verses, and the lead single 'Original Fire' is a good example of this. This means that you can hear the bass really well, and, as a bass player, that's what I like! // 10
Lyrics and Singing: Chris Cornell's lyrical style is excellent, to say the least, and has matured a lot since his days in the 'Garden. Not only can he write catchy rock tunes ('Original Fire', 'Somedays', 'Revelations') he can also write meaningful, politically-themed songs (much to Tom Morello's pleasure, I'll bet). 'Wide Awake' is a good example of this, this song tells of the Hurricane Katrina disaster and the Bush government's inability to act swiftly in regards to getting aid to people that needed it. This song, in particular, displays Cornell's vocal talents well, his voice really gets emotional, for want of a better word, in this song! Great stuff. // 9
Impression: Overall, I'm very glad I bought this album. A great introduction to Audioslave's work for anyone that wants it! I'll definitely be buying their other two albums. Personally, the most impressive song on the album was 'Revelations', plainly because it's catchy from the word go, and, being the title track and the album opener, that's what you want. If it got stolen, I'd replace it without a blink of the eye. A brilliant album all around, from four brilliant musical talents. It's a shame that Audioslave are no longer together, as I feel they had a good thing going. Great album. // 9
Reviewed by:
Truth?, on january 16, 2007 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Sound: Speaking from a non-biased point of view, aside of the fact that I am a huge Audioslave fan, I’ll actually be the first to admit that when I heard the album’s first released single, “Original Fire,” being played on the radio, I nearly broke down like a rental car from Enterprise. “What the hell is this?” I asked, no, screamed aloud to my brother who sat beside me, hearing the same disaster-piece unfold. He said something similar with more expletives. Irregardless, we listened to the entire song, trying to pull out something from this hit instead of the hair from our heads, but failed. Eventually it happened, but we’re talking five, six listens later. Neither of us treasured the gospel-like chant chorus, or the verses that were almost completely absent of anything resembling rock guitar, not to mention Cornell’s vocals being droned out by a trite, single note bass line. The solo was the final “clincher,” if you will, that conjured the acidic remains of my last meal up into my mouth. That’s right, I flat-out barfed. I have this weird tendency to do so when I hear solos that sound reminiscent of a wounded bird laughing at me.
Now that I’ve let all of my frustration out, let’s move on. After all, this is an Audioslave album we’re talking about, so there’s bound to be a positive side. The next radio single (which also happened to be the title of the album and a very good song), was what convinced me that Audioslave haven’t lost their aptitude for making wonderful, hard rock sculptures. “Revalations” was an instant classic with me because it has the funky, hard-hitting riff that I was ultimately expecting earlier from “Original Fire.” As I continued listening, I began to realize that I had made a very foolish assumption that this album would be sub-par because there wasn’t one song that didn’t impress me on it’s first rotation (sorry, “Original Fire” not included). Eleven out of Twelve isn’t a bad percentage, and as I mildly implied earlier, after listening to “Original” a few more times, I began to show some respect for it. In my opinion, I just feel that it was a poor choice for the album’s first single, or to be released as a hit at all for that matter, because there are too many songs that overshadow it musically. Standout Tracks: One And The Same, Broken City, Jewel Of The Summertime, Moth. // 8
Lyrics and Singing: I have always been fond of Cornell’s lyrics, even from his Soundgarden days. He has a unique way of combining rather deep sections of writing whilst still making the song suitable to appreciate the great riffs and hooks. Basically I feel his lyrics aren’t always the main focus of the song, but there are always a handful of tracks where he solely ends up stealing my attention. “Black and whites, alarms and lights, plain clothes and miranda rights, at the right place but in the wrong life.” Lyric taken from “Somedays.” The track “Wide Awake” seems more politically directed than anything I’ve seen from him thus far. Although subtle, he gets the point across, and listeners can easily deduce what he’s talking about when he states: “The poor and undefended left behind, while you’re somewhere trading lives for oil as if the whole world were blind.” It’s pretty obvious that he’s bashing the current war(s) the United States are involved in, and even more specific, our beloved, elf-eared cattle driver, uh. I mean president. But don’t worry, there’ll always be someone stupid enough to think it’s just another song about “drugs.” It always amazes me. Personally, the lyrics contained in their past effort, “Out Of Exile,” were just a step above these. However, I thought that these complimented the album’s music better…not exactly an oil meets water kind of relationship. // 7
Impression: Lesson learned: never judge an entire album by one song you hear on the radio. This can also apply to horrible records that have one good hit song, so just be on the look-out. Basically use you head: a band as good as Audioslave honestly has to try to make a crap album, whereas this action comes naturally to such artists that have fake boobs or have been shot in the head “nine times” and still remain alive, not to name names or anything. After this album came to an end, I immediately began to debate the idea of having another thumb surgically attached to my right hand so I could give this album “three thumbs up” instead of just two. I guess the easier option would be to find a partner to review albums with. Think the “Ebert And Roeper” of new music…but I don’t want people to think I’m gay. // 9
Reviewed by:
cointurtlemoose, on november 08, 2006 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Sound: I will say that their sound is noticably different than their first two albums. Revelations definately has much more of a funky/soulfull influence to it. Tom Morello himself described it as "Earth Wind and Fire meets Led Zeppelin" and I can definately agree with this comparison. Morello's guitar work is once again outstanding, creative, and appropriate to each song. The drums and bass are stronger than on any other Audioslave album in my opinion. The soulfull theme in the songs really gives them lots of room to shine. Although it took me a month or two to get used to the new twist they put on their sound, I appreciate the album much more than any other Audioslave album. // 10
Lyrics and Singing: There is really nothing too special in the lyrics department. They're not bad, but I guess they serve their purpose well. The lyrice of "Wide Awake" and "Nothing Left to Say But Goodbye" are probably the best. Although Cornell does an excellent job on singing on this album, I think I sense his voice starting to decline slowly. His higher register isn't as clear and powerful as I've heard in the past. Despite this though, the singing is still very much above average. The lyrics I would give a 6 and the singing I would give a 9 so this section rounds up and gets an 8. // 8
Impression: Like I said before, it is somewhate of a departure from their "normal" sound. Despite this though, you can still very much tell that it is Audioslave. At first when I bought this album, I was pretty dissapointed. But, after about a month, I slowly started to love it more and more. Now I think it is a fresh and genious addition to the currently redundant hard rock genre. // 10
Reviewed by:
Cobalt Blue, on august 20, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Sound: Not quite as heavy as their first two albums, but Audioslave did take a nice direction with their 3rd release Revelations. The album sure gives some funky more bass heavy songs on here, and some more soulful tunes. Tom Morello still shows off his ability as an excellent guitar player, but with a tendency to over use effects. A little more than half way into the album I recall saying "okay I get it, you have a whammy pedal" but there are some solo's where he shreds it up "Shape of things to come" for example. there's definitely a variety of material Revelations, the softer song "Until we fall", the simple but rockin' soulful tune "Original Fire" and the heavier Funkier songs "Jewel of the summer time" & "Moth." // 9
Lyrics and Singing: Chris Cornell is as good as ever on this album, he may not be belting it out as loud as the Soundgarden days but he's still one of the best singers around today. There's more soulful songs on this album as Chris Sings of love, pain, his influences, his past addictions, and even hurricane Katrina which is reference in the bands first political song "Wide Awake." // 8
Impression: They bring a bit of funkiness to the mix this time which I enjoyed but overall Revelations is the weakest Audioslave's 3 albums. My favorite tracks on the album are "Shape of Things to Come" "Moth" "Jewel of the Summer Time" and the title track. I'd say the low points on the album are probably "Nothing left to say but goodbye" and "Original Fire" they're fairly catchy you might catch yourself singing them, but I don't think it's their best work. If this was lost or stolen I'd probably buy it again, but I might buy some Soundgarden albums first. Overall a pretty good album, not their best but I wish the band hadn't broken up and were touring for this album. // 8
Reviewed by:
rockboy8000, on november 08, 2006 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Sound: Revelations has a very interesting sound that combines funky soul with hard rock which I beleive they pulled off pretty well. It's probably harder rock than Out of Exile (good thing) but a little less hard rock than the first album, but it is much funkier than either. They made a lot of interesting and creative sounds in this album. As usual, Tom Morello brought a lot of interesting stuff to the table, along with solid bass, drums, and vocals. I like how in the CD booklet thing, it claims "All sounds made with vocals, guitar, bass and drums" which means no phony studio-added sounds. Overall, good sound. // 9
Lyrics and Singing: The lyrics, I thought, were pretty good. The only weak spot is that in several songs, the chorus is one simple sentence. This tends to get a bit repetitive and slightly annoying. The band makes most of this up with good riffs solid rythm. Chris Cornell once again brings a great range of vocal talent, and brings it out well. I enjoyed a lot of songs interesting lyrics. My favorite example is in the last song "Moth", which has the lyrics, "Been burned and fallen down so many times before, I don't fly around your fire anymore". I like how they incorperate fire (their little emblem)into their songs. Overall, pretty good. // 7
Impression: Of the three albums, this comes second on my list. I still think their first album was just incredible and will be very, very hard to beat. Out of Exile was pretty disappointing to me. The best songs, in my opinion, are "Revelations", "Original Fire", and "Moth". I really enjoy this album and it will stay in my listening rotation for some time. If this album were lost or stolen, I would buy it again, or ask for it for Christmas heheh. // 9
Reviewed by:
bigmgb, on september 17, 2007 0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Sound: Audioslave has a real variety on this album. Some songs are just straight up rock (Revalations, Wide Awake) and some have a little bit of a disco vibe to them (Original Fire). I love the sound on this album, unlike most modern rock groups, that have that low pitch sound, Audioslave has an uplifting high pitch sound. One of the bands that I believe was one of there biggest influences, and this is just an opinion, is Aerosmith. Two songs I can compare pretty easily are Revalations and Last Child. They both start with a clean intro and then go into a repetitive, kind of punchy main riff. I like there guitar solos, sure, there not that difficult, but compared to most modern rock bands, they are extremely talented. I like how they put a different spin on there solos, for example, the Original Fire solo. It almost sounds like a turntable solo. Come to think of it, it could be a turntable solo, I don't know. // 8
Lyrics and Singing: Cris Carnell does great lyric work on this album as he has done on all of both Soundgarden and Audioslaves albums. I believe Cris is one of the most talented vocalists of are time. If you don't believe me listen to Original Fire and you'll see what I mean. As I have said, I love his lyrics. The reason I love them so much is because they aren't whiney like many modern rock bands, for example, Godsmack. Cris's lyrics are usually positive and some times has that that good times feel to them. // 8
Impression: What is my overall impression of the album? You can't beat the old school stuff, but this is as good as it gets with modern rock. Some of my favorite songs are Wide Awake, Original Fire, and my personal favorite, Revalations. If I ever lost it, I would definitly buy it again, and if you don't have it, I would advise you to do the same. // 7
Reviewed by:
patterson_22, on september 09, 2006 0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Sound: This isn't another hard-pop, post-grunge Audioslave album. Morello wasn't kidding when he said they had gone a different route, calling it something between Led Zeppelin and Earth, Wind and Fire. This album is incredibly beat driven, with the harder stuff comming second. Once again though, Tom Morello has created a whole new sound in his guitar solos. Don't think for moment that he toned it down at all on the distortion and wah pedal, but he does more rhythm than he's done in the past. It reminds me a lot of Rage Against the Machine and Soundgarden's stuff a times, like on the song Somedays. Don't get wrong though, this album is very different than anything else the band has done in the past or with Audioslave. Some of the songs that caught my ear are Revalations, Sound Of A Gun, Until We Fall, Original Fire, and Broken City. // 10
Lyrics and Singing: On a whole, the lyrics are pretty corny, it sounds like Cornell was trying way to hard. Lines are repeated much more than the band has done in the past. For example, in the song One And the Same, you definitely know that it's called that by the time it's over. His voice, on the other hand, is as good as ever. This album is heavily based on rhythm and beat. // 6
Impression: I liked the album on a whole, but I wouldn't say it's as solid as their first two albums. It's missing solid lyrics. If nothing else, this album is worth the buy just to hear Morello. If you're looking for something catchy and/or something to grove to, then you'll love this album. For those who are looking for something more like their old stuff, then you might want to listen to the CD before you buy it, just because it's so diferent. It's the kind of album that grows on you. It can be compared to the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper and the Dave Matthews Band's Stand Up in the sense that it's a big change in the band's overall sound that not all will like, but will definitely make the band stronger in the long run. // 8
Reviewed by:
ianl, on october 09, 2006 0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Sound: It's been over a month since the release of Revelations, and now that the album has fully sunk in, it's time to review it. This album is a lot funkier than the others, but still has that hard edge about it. Brad Wilk and Tim Commerford are the perfect rythm section and, because they have worked together for so long, they have developed a great understanding. Tom Morello's wild guitar solos are still in place, some weirder and wackier than anything on the previous albums, but with more shredding than before. Chris Cornell, still the greatest voice in rock, although slighty more worn than before, has developed a soulfull tone to his voice, which suits the album perfectly. // 9
Lyrics and Singing: Usually Chris Cornell's lyrics are awesome, and this album is no acception. Nothing left to say but goodbye and moth are, in my opinion, the best lyrics wise, apart from wide awake (the first real political Audioslave song) which is perhaps the best audioslave song of all time for lyrics. The one downside is the repetiveness of some chorus (sound of a gun, somedays and jewel of the summertime) and the randomness of some of the lyrics (somedays again). Other than this, the lyrics are awesome. // 8
Impression: This is probably my favourite Audioslave album, as it is something you can mosh to and dance to. // 9
Reviewed by:
Bass.Parade, on april 05, 2007 0 of 5 people found this review helpful
Sound: The band's riffs are funkier than on previous albums. Funky and Chris Cornell's voice do not mix. The musical arrangements seem a little rusty. It seems like on some of the songs they just put them together as quickly as they could. There are a couple of good songs on the album (Revelations and One And The Same), but a couple is not enough. And Original Fire is not a good song. The verse riff is like a short version of the verse riff in TNT by AC/DC. This is not the only riff rip-off they had on this album. The main riff in Shape Of Things To Come is like a longer version of the main riff in Spoonman by Soundgarden(Chris Cornell's former band). Also, if you recognize Sound Of A Gun, it was called Show Me How To Live the first time it was recorded. I don't understand how the band didn't realize how similar this song was to a song they had written themselves. // 2
Lyrics and Singing: Chris Cornell is a really bad lyricist. He always has been, and he always will be. Most of his lyrics come from stupid idioms and/or make no sense. Chris Cornell's voice bothers me, and like I said earlier, it does not mix well with funky riffs. I am really more of a fan of riffs than singing and lyrics, but the singing on this album only made it worse. // 1
Impression: I am a huge fan of Rage Against the Machine, and I do like Audioslave, but this album is truly the worst album ever created by Tom Morello, Tim Commerford, and Brad Wilk. It was a real dissapointment, and I think that the guys have really lost there sense of good music. The self-titled album was pretty good, I really enjoyed Out of Exile, but this album makes me truly ashamed of Audioslave. I'm sure they worked very hard on the album, but to me, this album should be recalled. I hope that the guys come back to their musical senses when they get back with Zack de la Rocha as RATM. // 2
FloKu
: Got it today... and fell in love with it imideatly.
Great Album!!! Better than OoE!!
hope they'll continue on this high level and come to germany anytime soon. POSTED: 09/05/2006 - 06:15 am / quote|
ajax
: Its 6 in the morning and I really want this POSTED: 09/05/2006 - 06:16 am / quote|
MiniMusicMasta
: why doesn't morello put in those awesome riffs in like he did in ratm POSTED: 09/05/2006 - 06:42 am / quote|
james86
: I havent got this album in philippines I will buy my own copy and judge it by myself I'm excited to have it POSTED: 09/05/2006 - 08:54 am / quote|
pontino
: i want it, i have the other two and i think audioslave is better than out of exile, more like ratm... POSTED: 09/05/2006 - 08:59 am / quote|
ianl
: Awesome album, but the best track is easily wide awake. If you listen carefuly to the bridge in sound of a gun, the vocal pattern (and maybe the lyrics) sound almost exactly the same as on drown me slowly from out of exile POSTED: 09/05/2006 - 11:31 am / quote|
coldsteel
: I purchased the album about 3 days ago. There isn't alot to say to show I good I think this album is other then I have probably listened to it about 15 times or more already.
It is debatable if I would prefer this album or there first but time will tell. This may not be as heavy but the funk/groove edge to the basic Audioslave sound works great. The overall finish of the album from the arrangements, layering of sounds and recording quality is in my opinion definately better then any other Audioslave albums yet.
tom1989
: freaking awesome album, bet one they've done yet. POSTED: 09/05/2006 - 02:14 pm / quote|
guitarmanjj15
: i actually got this album on the 4th and it blew me away. It is a hell of a lot better than the previous albums and it also adds a feel of RATM with all those political songs ....just amazing really. ive listened to it about 30 times all the way through since yesterday lol. these guys truly rock.... \m/ \m/ rock on POSTED: 09/05/2006 - 02:56 pm / quote|
tremonti91
: I like the old ones better, especially out of exile. This is a good one though. I love the intro to revelations, and moth. beautiful POSTED: 09/05/2006 - 05:06 pm / quote|
Sabbath25
: true that this album is awsome compared to the other albums, and Tom has gotten even more creative.But it still dosent have the aggresiveness that RATM had POSTED: 09/05/2006 - 05:16 pm / quote|
_RATM_
: yeah not quite Rage...=( but awesome nonetheless.. POSTED: 09/05/2006 - 05:28 pm / quote|
some_rock_fan
: My favourite audioslave album is still their self titled but this one is really good, better than out of exile. It still misses that punch that rage had though but its definately creative POSTED: 09/05/2006 - 05:34 pm / quote|
patterson_22
: morello is amazing... not as hard, like he said it's zeppelin meets earth, wind and fire, but still good stuff! POSTED: 09/05/2006 - 07:28 pm / quote|
DanielJohns
: This is a HUGE improvement over Out of Exile. While not as great as their self titled, it is great. I would give this an 8, ST a 10 and Out of Exile a 5. POSTED: 09/05/2006 - 07:51 pm / quote|
joshua029
: I'm a huge fan of theirs and I got this album minutes after begged the lady at walmart to let me find it in the boxes. I listened to it 5 or 6 times and i love it, but i can tell this is an album that will have to grow on me just like the other 2 albums. Awesome, but im not sure if i could say that it is better than their first album. POSTED: 09/05/2006 - 08:03 pm / quote|
[mr_mister]
: I'll have to get it. > POSTED: 09/05/2006 - 08:09 pm / quote|
JackWhite1988
: This is the better Audioslave album. The debut was ok, Out of Exile was pretty good but this is excellent. POSTED: 09/05/2006 - 08:15 pm / quote|
guitarrocka205
: It's awesome. I'm tellin' y'all what. The blues/funk thing is a HUGE part of their new style. That's what Morello said though, right? So, I say they really did achieve what they set out to do. With that said, RATM fans... even Soundgarden fans might not be with it at first. However, this CD is one of AUDIOSLAVES most creative efforts. BUY IT! POSTED: 09/05/2006 - 08:54 pm / quote|
sassygray6
: Sweet, I will have to check out the new album A.S.A.P.! POSTED: 09/05/2006 - 09:01 pm / quote|
KickOutTheJamsX
: just downloaded it.. its not bad, although it does sound repetative until the solos which i love. POSTED: 09/05/2006 - 10:24 pm / quote|
fredrico0012
: I didn't even know there was a new album coming out. POSTED: 09/05/2006 - 10:50 pm / quote|
AudioOUTRAGE
: i like the new road that audioslave has taken. though not a whole new road to a whole different genre, this album really shows that they can do something different yet do it well. POSTED: 09/05/2006 - 11:06 pm / quote|
soul_power
: Its freaken genius is what it is, its my fav of this year followed by stadium arcadium and wolfmothers self titled. POSTED: 09/05/2006 - 11:25 pm / quote|
Learn_to_fly
: havnt heard it, but in an interview i saw on C4, morrelo said that its the closest they've come to being the band they wanna be. should be good... awesomeness guitarist, digging 'original fire' aye. POSTED: 09/06/2006 - 12:09 am / quote|
-XIII-
: A number of awesome songs, "Wide Awake" is probably my favourite. I'm still undecided on whether I like this new album better than the others but its definitley a superb effort. Tom Morello rules! POSTED: 09/06/2006 - 12:36 am / quote|
Calebtimm
: there arent many vocalists that can touch cornell. And not many guitarists that are as genius as morello. This album is a lot groovier than the previous. I agree with most people that it is better than the last, and competes with the first. Though i still thing the self titled album is god sent. POSTED: 09/06/2006 - 12:51 am / quote|
DarkBlueIce
: A FREAKIN GREAT ALBUM! I LOVE IT~ the guys from RAGE and the man who broke the RUSTY CAGE have done it again! well done! cant wait til the tour for this album! POSTED: 09/06/2006 - 01:06 am / quote|
james86
: well its a different album way far from the previous two albums but I think its better than to have anothe cliche its gud that this album is unique. I also think the songs are much more shorter, this is not the best audioslave record in my collection because of its funkiness but as I've said its much better than to repeat another out of exile. Audiolave is such a unique band you cant find good mucisians in one band POSTED: 09/09/2006 - 12:09 pm / quote|
bs5538
: FUNKY & INTRICATE, I LOVE IT. You've gotta hear it to believe it... POSTED: 09/09/2006 - 11:17 pm / quote|
recliner33
: The album sounds great except for original fire. I don't know why they put the worse track on the cd as the single, one of the reviewers also mentioned that. I don't think it's as good as their first album, but I have a feeling that they made the album sound more like blues and funk so they can surprise us with the next album. The next album will probably be more hard rock and will be their heaviest to date. They just put this out for change, so people won't be bitching that all their stuff sounds the same. I hope I'm right about the next album being really heavy. POSTED: 09/10/2006 - 01:26 am / quote|
RedHotFan182
: i think everything on this album sounds great including original fire. Their new funky sound makes them sound even better than before. I love the one and the same solo. Thats why Tom Morello is an axe god. POSTED: 09/11/2006 - 09:17 pm / quote|
vIsIbleNoIsE
: heavy or not, audioslave is good, true music. the calm songs are just as great as the heavier ones POSTED: 09/15/2006 - 06:30 pm / quote|
FungusInMyMilk
: This album has definitely rekindled my Audioslave 'original fire'-i have not given these guys a listen since their self titled out, compltelty missed out of exile, im definitely going to go find a copy of Out of Exile now, i love Revelations! POSTED: 09/18/2006 - 08:36 am / quote|
PoizonIVY
: Best Audioslave album!!!
Damn, these guys just get better all the time!
Audioslave = GENIUS!
9/10.
Great job guys!!!! POSTED: 09/25/2006 - 09:33 am / quote|
StringsofBlack
: Am I the only one that was dissapointed with this album? Don't get me wrong, I love Audioslave, but all the songs sound the same. It's a generic funk riff in every song, nothing stands out. Did they even change key between songs? POSTED: 10/21/2006 - 09:25 pm / quote|
MT's #1 Fan
: UG team, I'm sure your smart and all, but you post Audioslave being more funk than hard as a bad thing. This album is by far they're greatest, maybe a little more funk, but if it's melodic I don't care what kind of music it is, stop living in the glory days, and come to now, where Audioslave's truely succeding POSTED: 10/24/2006 - 08:51 am / quote|
lonely_girl
: i love the new album and it's super funky side! Chris Cornell is god and I love him! hehe! POSTED: 10/31/2006 - 08:31 am / quote|
lzstratbrat
: I can't say that this album is my favorite, but because of my love for Audioslave, I'm willing to give it a chance...the album is definitely lacking in intensity, but the different style is interesting. I'm just trusting Audioslave to keep delivering great music! POSTED: 11/07/2006 - 12:44 pm / quote|
lzstratbrat
: by the way....I thank God every day that Chris was ok after his incident! I love him! POSTED: 11/07/2006 - 12:45 pm / quote|
sohter
: Tom Morello is a god POSTED: 11/08/2006 - 05:48 am / quote|
con job
: This album rocks!some of the best guitar work from morello in a long time. POSTED: 11/30/2006 - 05:00 pm / quote|
tbarrettl
: A mix of Rage and Soundgarden must be an awesome force but working together as a co-operating group sounds just super. POSTED: 01/15/2007 - 10:12 pm / quote|
sambargun
: I've just got the album, sounds good. The funk bit is good, means that the boys are moving away from those nu-metal leanings. Though not exactly a classic, this is a decent album from a band that i foolishly trust. I'll give it 8 out of 10(their debut gets around 8, Out Of Exile get 9.5,easily their besteffort) POSTED: 01/22/2007 - 12:43 pm / quote|
FenTel
: It's been going downhill since the debut... Bring back RATM! POSTED: 02/21/2007 - 12:10 pm / quote|
MT's #1 Fan
: Best album yet. The first one was amazing, but it just had some flat-out bad songs. In this album, either it's really good, or it's pretty good. So it's better as an album. But thier first still has some of my all-time favorites POSTED: 03/28/2007 - 11:46 am / quote|
RageFan1900
: I really like this album. When I first listened to it, it hit me hard, but now it's still great, but lacks the power of older tracks like "Set It Off" or "Your Time Has Come." POSTED: 04/01/2007 - 01:45 am / quote|
Bass.Parade
: When i put this album in my stereo the smell of crap came out of my speakers. POSTED: 04/04/2007 - 08:33 pm / quote|
soundgardenfan
: it wasn't a bad album its pretty good
but its Audioslaves worst album POSTED: 05/30/2007 - 06:17 pm / quote|
Best album yet. The first one was amazing, but it just had some flat-out bad songs. In this album, either it's really good, or it's pretty good. So it's better as an album. But thier first still has some of my all-time favorites
Best yet my ass.
This sounds like it was really rushed through the studio, I would have loved to hear the follow up but seeing as Chris ****ed that up. POSTED: 06/23/2007 - 09:10 pm / quote|
bullsonparade13
: This album is freaking awesome!! POSTED: 07/09/2007 - 02:17 am / quote|
Cobalt Blue
: to Bass.Parade, I definitely noticed the similarities between Shape of things to come and Spoonman right away. but i don't think sound of a gun is that much like show me how to live, it seems like a generic Audioslave song though. POSTED: 08/20/2007 - 08:23 am / quote|
Thrall
: To the guy who wrote the last review- I'm not sure rock is for you. You might want to try listening to some rap or techno music, because I'm not sure you know how to listen to real music. POSTED: 01/21/2008 - 10:02 am / quote|
The album sounds great except for original fire. I don't know why they put the worse track on the cd as the single, one of the reviewers also mentioned that. I don't think it's as good as their first album, but I have a feeling that they made the album sound more like blues and funk so they can surprise us with the next album. The next album will probably be more hard rock and will be their heaviest to date. They just put this out for change, so people won't be bitching that all their stuff sounds the same. I hope I'm right about the next album being really heavy.
Ha ha, that's freaking hilarious!
Yeah, too bad theyt broke up. POSTED: 01/21/2008 - 10:09 am / quote|
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