Audioslave

To make a short sentence short, the rock gods will be pleased. Audioslave’s newest release, Out of Exile, is a wailing success. Take a deep breath and say this all at once: Lead singer Chris Cornell’s dark lyrics, brought off in his strong vocal style, are charged by guitar legend Tom Morello’s incendiary riffs, with Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk pounding out badass beats throughout to make this CD nothing short of the rock-star quality we’d expect from four veterans. Are you gasping? Cornell could do it. He can hold a solid note until the Second Coming and still manage a few rounds of “Ave Maria.” My eardrums are still scorched from the screeching guitar solos and Cornell’s gospel-tinged howls.