Why is Audioslave’s Out of Exile on my best 1,000 albums ever list?
The supergroup comprised of Rage Against the Machine (minus Zach de la Rocha) and Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell finds their cohesive sound.
What does Audioslave’s Out of Exile mean to me? What does it make me feel? Why is it exciting or compelling?
Back when Rage Against the Machine front man Zach de la Rocha left the (incredible) band and it was rumored that remaining members Tom Morello, Tim Commerford, and Brad Wilk were looking to form a new band with a new singer and/or rapper, I was very amped on the idea there would be some element of a Cypress Hill tie-in.
When in fact it was Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell (who passed away in 2017) who was brought into the new band, dubbed Audioslave, I was open to it but not necessarily amped. And, indeed, I was not that into Audioslave’s eponymous release in 2002. However, with Out of Exile, Audioslave found a cohesive sound that optimally incorporates Cornell’s vocals with the band’s crunchy metal groove.
“Doesn’t Remind Me” is by far my favorite song on Out of Exile, maybe in part because it’s the pinnacle of the band finding its own sound, melodic and almost acoustic-metal-U2 in the verses and a softer Soundgarden thing in its soaring chorus.
And because I’m such a huge RATM fan, the opening metal hook of “Your Time Has Come”… well, hooks me right in. Tom Morello on guitar can do almost no wrong in my book, really. And Cornell’s vocals slot in really nicely as well.
“Out of Exile” is a nice change up, almost Red Hot Chili Peppers-y in contemplative, quiet groove mode before bursting back into a Soundarden-y chorus.
Some stats & info about Audioslave – Out of Exile
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Metal, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Rock Music, Alternative Metal
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 3 out of 5 stars
- When was Out of Exile released? 2005
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #853 out of 1,000
Audioslave’s Out of Exile on Spotify
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective take on what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.