When the whisperings of a union between core members of two of rock’s greatest bands first set wires buzzing, fans were torn between horror (“Rage? And Soundgarden? Together?! No! Don’t ruin the memories...”) and good old fashioned cat-slaughtering curiosity: what as-yet-unheard epics could such a cross pollenation bring forth? And could they ever top the likes of ‘Killing In The Name’ or ‘Pretty Noose’?
If Audioslave’s self-titled 2002 debut did just about enough to muffle the critics and please some fans (a respectable start, albeit light years from mind blowing), then this, their sophomore release, only cements the theory that modern so-called supergroups (or ‘titans of rock’, as this lot prefer to be known) largely fail to reignite the spark that set the individuals’ careers alight in the first place.
Out Of Exile smacks of a mustiness only a band like Audioslave could achieve. Familiar voices and sounds prevail, but the record is sadly lacking in any real moments, and seems to lose itself in a vast expanse of off target Zeppelin-isms and epic soundscapes that just, well, aren’t.
The title track comes closest to hitting the mark with a nice, beefy chorus. The single ‘Be Yourself’ trundles along fairly inoffensively (and blandly). ‘Doesn’t Remind Me’, ironically, reminds me of 'I Fought The Law'. And the rest of the album decends into the depths of self satisfying – or should that be self-satisfied? – mediocrity.
Supergroups? Sod 'em. I’m off to listen to Superunknown. Very very loudly.