In the hard rock world circa 2002, one of the most highly anticipated releases was the debut recording of Audioslave, a band comprising former Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell (b. 20 July 1964, Seattle, Washington, USA), and ex-Rage Against The Machine members Tom Morello (b. Thomas Baptist Morello, 30 May 1964, Harlem, New York City, New York, USA; guitar), Tim Commerford (b. 26 February 1968, Irvine, California, USA; bass), and Brad Wilk (b. 5 September 1968, Portland, Oregon, USA; drums). After long-time Rage Against The Machine singer Zack De La Rocha announced his exit from the band in late 2000, rumours began circulating that Cornell (who at the time was attempting to establish himself as a solo artist, in the wake of Soundgarden’s 1997 split) was going to replace De La Rocha. With all members of the proposed new group keeping a tight lip about what was going on, the quartet wrote and recorded tracks throughout 2001 (with renowned rap/heavy metal producer Rick Rubin handling production chores). Fans began referring to the band as Civilian (a name supposedly considered by its members, but ultimately rejected), and in March 2002, it was announced that the quartet would be touring as part of the year’s edition of Ozzfest. Less than a week after the tour’s announcement, another press release was issued to the displeasure of fans, that Cornell had abruptly quit the band (reportedly over a disagreement over their inability to agree on a record company/manager).
The band’s recordings were going to be issued anyway, but in May 2002, early versions of the album’s tracks were leaked online. The saga of this still unnamed band took another bizarre turn in September of the same year, when it was announced that Cornell had patched up his differences with the other members and had rejoined. The band’s official name, Audioslave, was finally divulged and they released their excellent self-titled debut in November, and followed it up with a supporting tour. In less than a month Audioslave was already on some critics lists as the album of the year and well on the way to achieving multi-platinum status, buoyed by the success of the singles ‘Cochise’ and ‘Like A Stone’.
The success of their debut album prompted the quartet to carry on working as Audioslave, re-entering the studio with Rick Rubin to begin recording new material. On 6 May 2005 they became the first American rock band to perform an outdoor concert in Cuba, after gaining authorisation from the United States Treasury Department. Shortly afterwards, the quartet’s new album Out Of Exile debuted at the top of the US charts. The quartet’s third album Revelations followed barely a year later, and was another significant critical and commercial success. Nevertheless, personal conflict between the members led to the band’s demise in February 2007.
