Cornell Leaves Audioslave

[Gongsun Zan]

I'm probably one of the weirdest Audioslave 'fans', in that I thought the first album was mediocre, "Out Of Exile" was immense, and the last album was boring as sin.

[Plubby]

if Audioslave are sacrificed for...RATM...it'll be a travesty.

[TMM]

if Audioslave are sacrificed for...RATM...it'll be a travesty.

Agreed. I think RATM are one of the most over-rated bands in the past 20 years or so. Everything I've heard from them has been really rather crap to be honest.

[Guest digrind]

Oh please, not more Rage Against the Machine. Not more plodding riffs and silly repetitive lyrics and heavy handed politicizing. And more importantly, not more people with Rage Against the Machine patches sewn onto their backpacks between Antiflag and the Dead Kennedys.

(...KENNEDAAAYS.)

I could go for another Cornell solo album though, I think I'm one of about fifteen people on Earth who owns Euphoria Morning. Love it.

[Summers]

Why does the world need MORE political songs? Morello's acting as if there's none about anymore. It's obviously just a payday plot "The world hates Bush, let's do some music about it, people love Rage's angry shit!"

Cornell > RATM anyway. So, I'm pleased in a way, I'd have loved to have seen Audioslave live though, some immense songs.

[TOG]

Audioslave was terribly overrated in my opinion. RATM is, too, but RATM is still good. So i'm happy.

[Steeb]

Oh please, not more Rage Against the Machine. Not more plodding riffs and silly repetitive lyrics and heavy handed politicizing. And more importantly, not more people with Rage Against the Machine patches sewn onto their backpacks between Antiflag and the Dead Kennedys.

(...KENNEDAAAYS.)

I could go for another Cornell solo album though, I think I'm one of about fifteen people on Earth who owns Euphoria Morning. Love it.

[THEXTREMIST]

I concur with nearly everyone else in this thread. Cornell can do much better without Audioslave, it's where IMO his worst material was made in comparison to his Solo and Soundgarden stuff. They just didn't gel properly, they were always compensating for each others sound. RATM reunion sounds good to me. I like em, though I only listen to a small selection of their stuff so it doesn't repeat on me too much Audioslave should just be left to rest and I guess Cornell after he's done his solo work could possibly form a new band that he'd gel better with? As he says himself, Soundgarden reuniting looks unlikely and would probably be disappointing. Cameron looks settled in Pearl Jam not to be moving anywhere and Cornell's voice sure can't do what it could (although it's still awesome).

[Skummy]

I have to admit, I'm surprised how many people on this board own Euphoria Morning. Outside of my family, I don't know anyone who owns it in real life.

I'd rather listen to Rage than Audioslave any day, though. They're not an amazing band, but Audioslave's second album is dull as ditchwater, and the only thing that made the first one good was the combination of Rage-style riffs with Cornell's vocals, and how drastically different to De La Rocha's they are. It was a curio as much as anything. With that gone, the second album was nothing of interest. And the only track I've heard off the third album is Original Fire (I think that's what it was called), which I thought was fantastic, it was almost funk in its sound. But it's no big loss to be losing Audioslave, although I doubt we'll see any more out of it. I don't think there's going to be a full-time RATM reunion, and if there is I can't see new material coming out of it (where's Zack's solo album?), just a quick tour, there will never be a Soundgarden reunion, and Cornell's next solo album won't be as good as Euphoria Morning.

I think the best thing for Audioslave to do is go on hiatus, do a quick RATM reunion tour (if they must, even just do the one gig that's already announced) and find a new singer who can bring something to the table that neither De La Rocha or Cornell could. I'd say Maynard James Keenan; he has links with Morello and Wilks already, having lived on the same street as them, and recorded with them in Shandi's Addiction, but that's a pipedream, really. It would make for an interesting dynamic, though.

Beyond that, I can't think of any plausible frontmen. I'd love to say Mike Patton, as he could easily cover the old RATM songs live a hell of a lot better than Cornell ever could, as well as being able to sing Audioslave with little difficulty, and bringing a whole wealth of influences that could really transform Audioslave into something incredible, but it would never happen. No one else springs to mind, really.

Is The Nightwatchman ever going to record? All I've heard is of it as a live project.

[fourstarfizzle]

Is The Nightwatchman ever going to record? All I've heard is of it as a live project.

Edited February 16, 2007 by fourstarfizzle

[Steeb]

I'm pretty sure an album's already 'aquirable'. I forget whether it's under The Nightwatchman name though. I seem to remember it just being under his actual name.

[Nerf]

Audioslave w/ Mike Patton would own on so many levels.

[K]

Meh I bought the first Audioslave album the other week, having never listened to them... the opening track rocks the shit, followed by about six tracks of complete dull, followed by me getting bored and turning it off.

[Skummy]

Audioslave w/ Mike Patton would own on so many levels.

I know, and I've annoyed myself by suggesting it now, because it'll never happen

[MalaCloudy Black]

I don't see Patton meshing with them at all, even though it is an awesome idea. >_>

[Liam]

I'm probably one of the weirdest Audioslave 'fans', in that I thought the first album was mediocre, "Out Of Exile" was immense, and the last album was boring as sin.

From other times this topic has come up, quite a few people prefer the 2nd to the 3rd and 1st, and in the order you quoted.

I have to admit, I'm surprised how many people on this board own Euphoria Morning. Outside of my family, I don't know anyone who owns it in real life.

I dunno if this is a surprise, but I own it also. Excellent stuff. As does my girlfriend, which I was surprised of when I first saw her CD collection. Other than that, nobody else I know has it, though.

I also fit in the Cornell > RATM boat, so I'm not too fussed. RATM are good, but I'm not excited at all about them getting back together, as it could possibly do more harm then good to thier legacy, and I'm more interested in some more solo Cornell stuff, to be honest.

[zero]

Thank God. Audioslave has a few good songs here and there, but for the most part, they are incredibly boring. It's basically using the immense musical talents of Rage Against the Machine to serve as Chris Cornell's backup band. I know I could get lynched on EWB for saying this, but Cornell is overrated and hasn't done anything really amazing since Down on the Upside.

But as for Rage, I love them, but I fear them recording new material. Those three albums really accomplished all that they were going to do with their style. I'd like to see them keep touring, but new records just don't seem like a good idea where anyone with eyeliner and a guitar thinks they understand politics now.

[marksbros6]

To throw my £00.02 in:

I think that their self-titled album was the best, some fantastic songs on there and everything just seemed to gel. Conversely I thought that their other two albums were a bit more disjointed, without the edgy tone of 'Audioslave.'

And I don't think this is a bad thing, listen to Cornell's solo stuff and it's clear he wants to go in a different direction lyrically than the band. And them getting back together to form RATM is the best direction for them to go in.

[fourstarfizzle]

New Nightwatchmen song here if anyone is interested.

[MDK]

Tom Morello should not sound like that based on what he looks like.