Audioslave

When two mighty forces collide, something’s gotta give, right? Maybe not. Audioslave is the on-again, off-again collaboration between Chris Cornell and most of the band formerly known as Rage Against the Machine. Fortunately, they have chucked ex-singer Zack de la Rocha’s political banner-waving from these rhythmic assaults. Beyond the odd curveball—like the pop-friendly acoustic guitars on “Like a Stone”—Audioslave essentially sounds like what it is: Chris Cornell fronting Rage. What, you were expecting more?