Speaking about the first time Cornell jammed with the band, Morello said: "He stepped to the microphone and sang the song and I couldn't believe it. It didn't just sound good. It didn't sound great. It sounded transcendent. And ... when there is an irreplaceable chemistry from the first moment, you can't deny it."[7] The new quartet wrote 21 songs during 19 days of rehearsal and started recording their first album in late May 2001.[8][9]
On March 19, 2002, the band announced they would be part of the 7th Ozzfest tour that summer, but three days later Cornell quit the group, and the Ozzfest dates were canceled. He rejoined the band six weeks later, after some management issues were resolved.[10]
Rough versions of thirteen songs from the album were leaked onto various peer-to-peer file sharing networks on May 17, 2002, six months before the official release of the album, under the name "Civilian" (or "The Civilian Project").[11] In an interview with Metal Sludge that July, Morello blamed "some jackass intern at Bad Animal Studios in Seattle" for stealing some demos and putting them on the internet without the band's permission.[12] Later, he said that "It was very frustrating, especially with a band like this, there is a certain amount of expectation. For some people the initial time that they are hearing it was not in the form that you would have them hear it. In some cases they weren't even the same lyrics, guitar solos, performances of any kind."[13]
Cornell was having problems with alcohol while making the album, and in late 2002 there was a rumor that he had checked himself into drug rehabilitation—a rumor that was confirmed when he conducted an interview with Metal Hammer from a clinic payphone.[14] He later said that he went through "a horrible personal crisis" during the making of the first Audioslave album, staying in rehab for two months and separating from his wife.[10] He remained sober until shortly before his passing in 2017.
The album was released on November 18, 2002, in the United Kingdom and a day later in the United States.[15] The band toured through 2003, before taking a break from the road in 2004 to record their second album.
Artwork
The cover was designed by Storm Thorgerson (with Peter Curzon and Rupert Truman) – who, as leader of Hipgnosis, was best known for work for Pink Floyd.
"The music of Audioslave struck us as brooding and sultry, carrying a sense of threat as if about to burst asunder or erupt in fury, much like a volcano. We knew therefore the setting against which some thing or some act would either appear or take place… [The flame is] the eternal flame, or the flame of remembrance, embodying the memory of two previous incarnations: namely Soundgarden and Rage Against the Machine. [It is] a large sculpture of metal like a sounding brass, which pilgrims or slaves of sound (audioslave) were duty-bound to visit and pay homage with their beater. The location is the volcanic island of Lanzarote, a truly remarkable place." – Storm Thorgerson[16]
An unreleased version of the cover, featuring a naked man looking at the flame, was shot elsewhere at the same location. "We so nearly used it," said Thorgerson, "but we were not entirely sure of the nude figure."[17]
Audioslave received mixed reviews from critics. Some critics lambasted the group's efforts as uninspired[21] and predictable.[25]
Pitchfork's reviewers Chris Dahlen and Ryan Schreiber praised Cornell's voice, but criticized virtually every other aspect of the album, calling it "the worst kind of studio rock album, rigorously controlled -- even undercut -- by studio gimmickry". They described Cornell's lyrics as "complete gibberish" and called producer Rick Rubin's work "a synthesized rock-like product that emits no heat".[3]
Jon Monks from Stylus Magazine also considered Rubin's production over-polished and wrote that, "lacking individuality, distinction and imagination this album is over-produced, overlong and over-indulgent".[4]Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic gave the album a mixed three stars out of a possible five, writing: "Occasionally, the group winds up with songs that play to the strengths of both camps," but more often "many of the songs sound like they're just on the verge of achieving liftoff, never quite reaching their potential."[19]
On the other hand, other critics praised the supergroup's style as reminiscent of 1970s heavy metal and compared it to Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath,[26][27] saying Audioslave add a much-needed sound and style to contemporary mainstream rock music[28] and have the potential to become one of the best rock bands of the 21st century.[29]
In 2005, Audioslave was ranked number 281 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.[30]
Commercial
The album entered the Billboard 200 chart at position number seven, after selling 162,000 copies in its first week.[31] It was certified gold by the RIAA less than a month after its release,[32] and by 2006 had achieved triple-platinum status.[33]
It is the most successful Audioslave album to date, having sold more than three million copies in the United States alone. The singles "Cochise", "Like a Stone", "Show Me How to Live", and "I Am the Highway" all reached the top ten of Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart, with "Like a Stone" reaching number one,[34] and those four, plus "What You Are", reached the top ten of the Mainstream Rock chart, with "Like a Stone" again reaching the top spot.[35]
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Chris Cornell; all music is composed by Audioslave
The album was included among a group of 15 DualDisc releases that were test-marketed in two cities: Boston and Seattle. The DualDisc has the standard album on one side and bonus material on the other side. The DVD side of the Audioslave DualDisc featured the entire album in higher resolution 48 kHz sound, as well as some videos. The higher resolution DVD side of this disc has been called a demonstration-quality audiophile release.[36][37]
ConnecteD bonus track
For a limited time, the CD could be inserted into a CD-ROM drive and used to access the ConnecteD website. Here, the user was able to download bonus videos, interviews, photos, and a bonus track ("Give").
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
