| Product Summary | | Label: Sony | | UPC: 00827969772829 | | Release Date: 9/5/2006 | | Buy.com Sku: 202893861 | | Item#: M355F2 | Format:  CD |
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(C) (P) 2006 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT and Interscope Records
| | The hard-driving supergroup's third album is a seething mix of rock & R&B in the grand old fashion of Led Zeppelin, and although singer Chris Cornell is no Robert Plant, the band's unified musical vision belies the usual music biz scenario of warring oversized superstar egos. The album-opening title track is a superbly confident hunk of riff-rock, and Tom Morello's wah-wah guitar pyrotechnics on "Sound of a Gun" likewise conjure heavy rock's early-1970s golden years.
There's also genuine political rage here, with the pounding beat and insistent chorus of "The Original Fire" heralding a call to arms (while Morello's solo is an eccentric gem), and songs like the quietly seething "Wide Awake" focusing the band's anger at institutionalized inaction in New Orleans after the devastation of hurricane Katrina. Though "Nothing Left to Say But Goodbye" and "Moth," the album's two downtempo tracks, are subtle, they're no less intense, thanks to Cornell's committed vocal delivery. Unsurprisingly, though, the band sounds most at home when it's rocking, whether on the snaky funk of "Broken City" or the full-frontal assault of "One and the Same."
"When hard bands decide they want to dance, they usually emulate tough funk like Sly & the Family Stone or a Stax single, but Revelations sounds far spikier, as if the Gap Band in the ’70s had somehow anticipated Sonic Youth records" Blender
| | Album Notes and Credits |
Notes & Personnel Info |  | Audioslave: Tim Commerford (electric bass); Chris Cornell, Tom Morello, Brad Wilk. | | Personnel: Chris Cornell (vocals); Tom Morello (guitar); Brad Wilk (drums). | | Recording information: Henson Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA. | | Photographer: Danny Clinch. | | The hard-driving supergroup's third album is a seething mix of rock and R&B in the grand old fashion of Led Zeppelin, and although singer Chris Cornell is no Robert Plant, the band's unified musical vision belies the usual music biz scenario of warring oversized superstar egos. The album-opening title track is a superbly confident hunk of riff-rock, and Tom Morello's wah-wah guitar pyrotechnics on "Sound of a Gun" likewise conjure heavy rock's early-1970s golden years. | | There's also genuine political rage here, with the pounding beat and insistent chorus of "The Original Fire" heralding a call to arms (while Morello's solo is an eccentric gem), and songs like the quietly seething "Wide Awake" focusing the band's anger at institutionalized inaction in New Orleans after the devastation of hurricane Katrina. Though "Nothing Left to Say But Goodbye" and "Moth," the album's two downtempo tracks, are subtle, they're no less intense, thanks to Cornell's committed vocal delivery. Unsurprisingly, though, the band sounds most at home when it's rocking, whether on the snaky funk of "Broken City" or the full-frontal assault of "One and the Same." | | Given the short distance separating Audioslave's second album, Out of Exile, in 2005 and their third, Revelations, in 2006, it's easy to assume that the Rage Against the Machine/Soundgarden supergroup has finally turned into an actual working band -- either that or the group is working hard to get to the end of their contract so they can go their separate ways (a suspicion stoked by the flurry of Chris Cornell-centric press surrounding its release, including the announcement that he's recording a solo album and will be singing the theme song for the new James Bond film, Casino Royale, on his own). Whether or not either theory is proven true over time doesn't change the fact that Revelations builds upon Out of Exile, sounding even more like the work of a genuine band than its predecessor. In light of this record, Out of Exile feels driven by Cornell, which itself was a shift away from the Rage-driven debut. Here, the two are integrated fully into a distinctive sound, one that's tight and focused, one that's aggressive but not overly heavy. Also, Audioslave has become increasingly rhythm-driven instead of riff-driven; even on the slower songs and heavy rockers, the pulse and pull of the rhythm defines the song more than the riff. Given this emphasis on rhythm, it's not a surprise that Audioslave displays an overt funk and soul influence here, ranging from the hard funk of "One and the Same" to the Motown homage of "Original Fire." This not only makes Revelations sound like the result of a working band, one that likes to jam together, but it also gives it a lighter feel in its tone, a feeling that Cornell runs with on his lyrics and singing, which are considerably less tortured and brooding than before. All this doesn't necessarily make Revelations a fun album -- making music is serious work for Audioslave and they expect the same from their audience -- but it does make for their most colorful, diverse, and consistent record yet. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine |
Producer: Brendan O'Brien; Brendan O'Brien |
Engineer: Nick DiDia; Billy Bowers; Nick DiDia; Billy Bowers |
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| | Associated Artists and Works |
| | Technical Info | | Release Date : 09/05/2006 | | Original Release Date : 2006 | | Catalog ID : 97728 | | Label : Epic/Interscope | | Number of Discs : 1 | | Studio/Live : Studio | | Mono/Stereo : Stereo | | SPAR Code : n/a | | UPC : 00827969772829 |
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| | Professional Reviews | | Rolling Stone (p.105)
- 3 stars out of 5 -- "The funk that always came naturally to Morello, bassist Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk in Rage also comes alive here in their heavy emphatic swagger."Entertainment Weekly (p.159)
- "Returning to the guitar-as-turntable style he patented with Rage, Morello pulls the band out if its generic aggro-rock rut." -- Grade: B |
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| | Bio | | | 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, and ex-Rage Against The Machine members Tom Morello, Tim Commerford (bass), and Brad Wilk. 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.
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