When Zack de la Rocha left Rage Against the Machine in October 2000, the band's future was put into question. Within months rumors flew that ex-Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell would replace de la Rocha. And gossip fueled truth, for Cornell joined the rest of Rage in the studio in May 2001. The mix was great and a musical bond was in the making: Cornell, Tim Commerford, Brad Wilk, and Tom Morello spent the next year writing and recording. By spring 2002, the foursome were no longer going by the Rage Against the Machine name and signed on for Ozzfest. But before the summer tour even got underway, Cornell quit the new project. He claimed it wasn't moving forward in the direction he'd hoped for. The breakdown didn't last, for Cornell rejoined by early fall. After tossing around the idea of being called Civilian, they settled on Audioslave. It's subtle, but telling, that the cover of Audioslave's eponymous debut is designed by Storm Thorgerson, the artist behind Pink Floyd's greatest album sleeves. Thorgerson, along with Roger Dean, epitomized the look of the '70s, the era of supergroups, which is precisely what Audioslave is -- a meeting of Rage Against the Machine, minus Zack de la Rocha, with former Soundgarden vocalist Chris Cornell. Though both bands were leading lights of alt-metal in the '90s, the two came from totally separate vantage points. Chris Cornell exerts the strongest influence, pushing the Rage Against the Machine boys toward catchier hooks and introspective material. Occasionally, the group winds up with songs that play to the strengths of both camps, like the storming lead single "Cochise." The single "Cochise," named for the great American Indian chief who died free and unconquered, hit radio in September 2002, and Audioslave's Epic full-length debut was released that November. The self-titled album eventually went multi-platinum on the strength of "Cochise" and the moody rocker "Like a Stone," and Audioslave supported it with gigs that included 2003 Lollapalooza dates.

Cornell, Morello, Wilk, and Commerford returned in May 2005 with Out of Exile, which debuted at number one on Billboard. Out of Exile sounds like the product of a genuine band, where all four members of the band contribute equally to achieve a distinctive, unified personality. It's still possible to hear elements of both Rage and Soundgarden here, but the two parts fuse relatively seamlessly, and there's a confidence to the band that stands in direct contrast to the halting, clumsy attack on the debut. A large part of the success of Out of Exile is due to the songs, which may be credited to the entire group but are clearly under the direction of Cornell, sounding much closer to his past work than anything in Rage's catalog. Audioslave played a historic show in Havana, Cuba, that marked that country's first outdoor show by an American rock band (that fall releasing the whole shebang on the Live in Cuba DVD). Exile continued the band's platinum-selling ways -- singles like "Be Yourself" and "Doesn't Remind Me" went to the top of the charts -- and the guys wasted no time following up with album number three.

Revelations, in early September 2006. Work on the album took only five weeks, since most of the songs had been fleshed out live over the previous year. In 2007, shortly after the members of Rage announced that they would reunite for that year's Coachella festival, Cornell left Audioslave, citing both personal and musical differences, and leaving the state of Audioslave uncertain. 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.