Audioslave=Trainwreck?

[elduave]

Saw the Live 8 stuff today. Why is it that Chris Cornell can nail some stuff while sounding downright pedestrian on other stuff? Also, watching them I get the feeling that the *never* talk to each other. Very odd vibe coming from that band. Also, very strange that they've chosen to add "Killing In The Name Of" to their reportoire.

[BTMN]

Yet, I thought they were good and thought the 3 differant songs was great.

[atquinn]

To me Audioslave has always been FAR LESS than the sum of it's parts. It's like the lamest aspects of RATM and Soundgarden have been amplified. (wait a second, was there anything lame about Soundgarden?)

-Austin

[Guerrilla]

Why is it that Chris Cornell can nail some stuff while sounding downright pedestrian on other stuff?

good question, wish i knew the answer.

i do believe they get along in real life quite well - they were showing clips from their cuba trip in early may, and they seemed to be having a blast hanging out with each other.

[cmatthes]

I was fortunate enough to catch Soundgarden almost a decade ago. Very powerful performance from Cornell, so I was looking forward to catching Audioslave. Hopefully that was just an off performance (?).

Of course, I heard that Velvet Revolver didn't knock it out of the park on a few dates this tour, and I was really counting on that being a powerhouse show.

[Stevieconlon]

I saw Soundgarden on the Badmotorfinger tour in Chicago and I saw an early performance of RATM opening for House of Pain in Washington DC.

I thought they were great bands.

Can't make people love one another. Can't relive the past.

I'm glad that they found some way to keep something cool going.

[Jack C]

Why is it that Chris Cornell can nail some stuff while sounding downright pedestrian on other stuff?

Exactly. I was cringing at the vocals in the first song (the Audioslave tune). Then I got chills two songs later when he was singing Black Hole Sun. He sounded amazing on that one but overall it sounded like he was really straining. I was just speculating/hoping that he had a cold or something. I've always thought of Cornell as having one of the strongest and most versatile voices in rock.

[Jones]

I was a huge Soundgarden fan, but I can admit that after seeing them live a handful of times, and on television appearances, that Cornell has never sounded good live. When they opened for GNR, it was crazy bad.

He seemed almost bored singing KITNO - not the type of song to sit back and croon.

[tomjoyce]

I like audioslave; I think both CDs are better than most new stuff. Chris Cornell's voice is less consistent now, but he's still one of the most compelling rock singers and rock band lyricists out there. I was never a big Rage fan; I got it, but to me it always felt like a put-on. In my book Morello is an average guitarist who's found a couple of unique angles and gimmicks to differentiate himself. You really have to admire that, but it has always felt to over-thought to me, and it's even worse now in audioslave. Their rhythm section is pretty solid though.

[serial]

Morello sounds like any one of a handful of Page-ripoffs without the soul or solos of Page. Maybe I didn't listen to enough of his stuff, and not saying he sucks, he doesn't, I just never thought he was as "fresh" as everyone seemed to give him credit for being.

[Jack C]

I have a new appreciation of Morello after seeing that performance. His "solos" sounded like the records and that's impressive. As effects-driven and "out" as his lead playing is, I figured his live tone wouldn't be that good, but he sounded great. It really drove home the fact that the guy has his own thing going on. You gotta respect that.

[Michael_]

Doing something unique with a guitar these days is hard enough, making it sound good is even harder, getting it played on the radio even harder again. Hence, I respect what Morello has done in Audioslave and RATM.

Besides, some of his riffs are brutal.

[hardheartedbill]

I'll tell ya whats brutal, that fuckin whammy pedal, that POS needs to be confiscated

[Guest teefus2]

I'll tell ya whats brutal, that fuckin whammy pedal, that POS needs to be confiscated

agreed. everytime he steps on that thing (almost every song, right?) my eyes automatically roll and my attention starts to drift.

[Brooks]

Doing something unique with a guitar these days is hard enough, making it sound good is even harder, getting it played on the radio even harder again. Hence, I respect what Morello has done in Audioslave and RATM.

Besides, some of his riffs are brutal.

+1

[atquinn]

I like alot of the riffs and grooves that Tom and the band come with (in RATM and, to a lesser extent, in Audioslave), but when he takes a solo, it's time to turn the dial. He seems to have tons of talent, but no taste what-so-ever. And if you're going to whip out a tasteless solo, at least make it fast!

-Austin

[anotherfreak2]

And if you're going to whip out a tasteless solo, at least make it fast!

+1

I do give morello some credit for coming up with some seriously KICK ASS grooves in RATM and again in Audio Slave, and in all honesty the sounds are cool the first couple of times, but once the novelty wears off it all sounds like noise to me. No matter how inventive you are, it still has to sound good.