Audioslave - Out of Exile
Interscope - 000460302 - 24/05/2005
By Patrick Walsh
It must be said, when I fist heard 'Be Yourself' a while back my hopes weren't exactly high for
Audioslave's sophomore effort. Contrived radio-rock at its most sickening, complete with an ultra-predictable wah-solo from Morello and a limp chorus effort from Cornell. Why the band saw fit use this piece of sub-
U2 fluff to represent their new platter is beyond me, but having heard the rest of the album, it comes as something of a relief to discover that 'Be Yourself' is easily the worst song on an album that stands as a marked improvement over the group's debut
Audioslave.
Audioslave still have some way to go before they can outgrow the safe modern rock blandness niche they've cornered themselves in, but
Out of Exile is a step in the right direction. 'Your Time Has Come' is a poor opener, sounding like a rehash of 'Cochise' but with a new solo. The title track is somewhat better, and Cornell manages to turn the fairly humdrum chorus riff into something a little more engaging through that nice 'ooh'-ing thing he does. Morello, unfortunately, sees fit to completely overdo the solo on this track rendering it overkill to an extent. No, it's not until we get past the initial batch of songs on
Out of Exile do we get to experience the direction that
Audioslave have chosen to take this time 'round. 'Doesn't Remind Me' is an enjoyable light-hearted romp, and it sets the tone for much of the rest of Out of Exile; an enjoyable, non-threatening rock album that, despite its shortcomings, seems to exhibit an overall deeper level of depth than its predecessor. Wilk and Commerford do a far better job on rhythm duties this time around, and when things fall flat on their face it's usually due to Morello being unable to resist the urge to overindulge on his fretboard and effects pedals.
It's clear that Cornell has had a greater say in the songwriting stakes, as much of the material on offer wouldn't have sounded out of place on
Soundgarden's
Down on the Upside. This definitely work's in the band's favour, as his voice was a very uneasy companion to the many
Rage Against the Machine-esque riffs on their debut. Songs such as 'Dandelion' exhibit a delicate pop-rock aura that's the obvious result of Cornell's increased input into proceedings, and even the odd
Black Sabbath cum
Zeppelin of 'The worm' sounds like an updated early
Soundgarden song or something, and 'Man or Animal' also has a stong latter-day flavour of the late Seattle troupe. So whilst
Out of Exile is a mostly straightforward listen, it has a better sense of itself than
Audioslave; where that album struggled to reconcile Chris Cornell with
Rage Against the Machine's musicians to often lacklustre results,
Out of Exile sounds more confidently like a band at work. It's not perfect, and mixes up some great, good and stinkers into the pot, but they're getting there at least.
7/10
Official Audioslave Website
Official Interscope Records
