This is "Audioslave's" second studio albumת released on May 23, 2005.
This album comes three years after the release of "Audioslave's" debut album - "Audioslave".
There were many who predicted that this "supergroup" was a one-time miracle that would not last beyond the first album. In this respect "Out of Exile" proved otherwise, it showed the commitment of the four members of Audioslave to function as a real band, to work and create together as one body and not just as a "supergroup" of refugees of two large bands, that are here for one night stand.
In the bonus DVD from the band's third album - "Revelations", Chris Cornell explains that he wrote the lyrics to the theme song "Out of Exile" when his second wife Vicky Karagiannis was pregnant. Cornell recounted the joy and happiness that came with the knowledge that he was going to be a father again and the fact that these good feelings "freed" him from the bad moods and depressions - "Out Of Exile" - just like that, literally.
Just a week ago we marked the death of Chris Cornell, and it's hard not to ponder that wounded soul that managed to touch so many people, encourage them in difficult situations and free them from that emotional "exile", but it ultimately failed to redeem itself.
Cornell also noted that the songs on the album have been influenced by the positive changes in his life since 2002 and that they are some of the most personal he has ever written.
Here are some examples:
The opening song "Your Time Has Come" was written by Cornell about younger friends of his who passed away and are no longer with us. Cornell also specifically refers to all the Vietnam War soldiers who lost their lives and to a memorial to them located in Washington, D.C., when he sings: "I've seen 50,000 names all engraved on a stone."
"Be Yourself" is one of our favorite songs written by Cornell, and it addresses the stupid mistakes Cornell made in his life and his desire to atone for them. Cornell tries to explain the difference that exists between two people who react differently to the same situation and suggests that we simply "be ourselves" and not try to resemble another.
"Doesn't Remind Me" Cornell lists a "grocery list" of things he enjoys and that they all have in common is that they don't remind him of anything. This song, which was released as the third single from the album, earned Audioslave a Grammy nomination in 2006.
In the song "The Worm" Cornell recalls his early days as a musician, some of which he regrets. For example, the words "Top of my lungs" refer to singing in the highest octaves in his youth and the words "Sitting on the bottom rug" correspond with the band characters printed on a rug on the back cover of the album" Louder Than Love ". Interestingly, the lyrics of the song do not include the phrase "the worm" and one has to wonder if Chris wants to present himself in this way.
This is the only album of the three on "Audioslave", which earned them first place on the Billboard 200.
About two weeks before the album's release, on May 6, 2005, the band performed in Santiago, Cuba, in front of an enthusiastic audience of 70,000 people. It was the first time an American rock band has performed on Cuban soil, with "Audioslave" performing most of the album's songs there, for the first time, even before its release. This of course led to the album "Live In Cuba".
(Photo: Interscope)
Oddly enough, despite the tremendous potential inherent in the formidable power trio of "Rage" veterans in conjunction with one of the great voices of our generation, this album stands out more in its calmer and slower moments like "Doesn't Remind Me", "Be Yourself", "Yesterday to Tomorrow" , "Heaven's Dead" and more.
Especially in the heavier parts of the album, like "Drown Me Slowly" or "Man or Animal", it seems that although this is the first time that "Audioslave" has really functioned as a band, it still continues to search for its identity, between "Rage's" masterful riffs and "Soundgarden's "massive heaviness.
Although the process of searching for identity has not been fully completed on this album, the magic moments in it still far outweigh the less good ones. It is a pity that this magic did not last, and the band disbanded shortly after the release of their third and final album, "Revelations", at the end of 2006.
Listen to the album on Spotify, Apple Music