NASHVILLE |FROM: MARCEE RONDAN/MITCH SCHNEIDER
AUDIOSLAVE FOLLOW #1 “BE YOURSELF” SINGLE
WITH THE COMPELLING
“YOUR TIME HAS COME”;
VIDEO FEATURES FOOTAGE FROM THE BAND’S RECENT HISTORIC VISIT TO CUBA;
BAND WRAP TRIUMPHANT EUROPEAN TOUR AND READY PLANS FOR SOON-TO-BE-ANNOUNCED FALL U.S. TOUR
“I’ve seen 50,000 names all engraved in stone/Most of them met an early grave years before I was born/All of them left brothers and sisters and mothers behind/Most of their family and friends are still alive and doing time…”
–“Your Time Has Come”
“Your Time Has Come,” the compelling new single by AUDIOSLAVE from their #1 critically acclaimed OUT OF EXILE album, is a collection of vignettes about people whose lives are shattered suddenly, driven by CHRIS CORNELL’s stirring vocals, TOM MORELLO’s innovative guitar and the razor-sharp rhythm section of bassist TIM COMMERFORD and drummer BRAD WILK.
AUDIOSLAVE underline the intensity of “Your Time Has Come” with a video that compiles recent performance clips along with behind-the-scenes footage from the band’s historic May ’05 visit to Cuba, when they become the first U.S. rock band to perform outdoors in Cuba to more than 60,000 people. The self-directed clip can be seen on the national airwaves, as well as viewed at the band’s website (www.audioslave.com).
“Your Time Has Come” is a “bunch of references to people that I knew that…were younger than me who’ve been dead for years and years, up to a couple of years ago,” CORNELL, the band’s lyricist, recently told MTV.com. “And then just kind of that juxtaposition of, even though it seems a lot for one person, a young healthy person, to have lost all these friends through various means of stupidity and other things, then making reference to the Vietnam War Memorial and the sheer numbers of dead. And remembering that and pointing out that each one of them has a family, each one of them has friends that are sitting around thinking about the same stuff that I did. But the numbers are astounding and, in a sense, kind of criminal. And that’s what the song’s about.”
“Your Time Has Come” marks the newly released second single from the band’s OUT OF EXILE album, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard pop albums chart. It follows AUDIOSLAVE’s 2002 self-titled multi-platinum debut album, which has now sold over five million copies worldwide. OUT OF EXILE’s lead single “Be Yourself” reached #1 on the Rock and Alternative radio charts, where it sat for four consecutive weeks.
Writing about the album in the THE NEW YORK TIMES (6/12/05), Jon Pareles noted that “Most of the album places sinewy hard-rock riffs behind Chris Cornell’s existential manifestoes, while Tom Morello’s guitar solos fling staccato patterns, string-tapping and the quasi-scratching he used for Rage.” Elsewhere, Shane Harrison of the ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION(5/24/05) commented: “You’ll be reminded that Cornell is still one of the best pure rock vocalists around, Tom Morello’s guitar dapples this album in fiery moments of invention, and the rhythm section of Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk is a marvel of agile power.”
AUDIOSLAVE, known for their absorbing and fiery performances, just wrapped their triumphant European tour this past weekend at the Oxygen Festival in Dublin, Ireland. The trek encompassed headlining and festival shows, plus a powerful set July 2 at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate for the global Live 8 telecast which pressured world leaders to drop the debt owed by poor nations. At the event, MORELLO had this to say:
“Live 8 is a concert to pressure the leaders of the world’s wealthiest nations to drop the debt to poor countries. The debt has a devastating effect throughout the 3rd World and ensures that countless millions will live their entire lives in wretched poverty. The G8 meet in secret to divide up the world as they see fit. Live 8 is an open democratic response of 10’s of millions of people demanding economic justice, and already some concessions have been made by the G8 countries. Why? Because whenever they meet 10’s of thousands, 100’s of thousands gather to protest, demonstrate, and riot. Today our voices are added to their voices. Today we are many millions strong and with one united voice. Today we demand an end to global poverty in our lifetime. Today our set is dedicated to all of you who are willing, who have the courage and conviction to stand up for what’s right where YOU live. In YOUR country. In YOUR place. In YOUR time. Today the whole world is watching. And today your voice will make history, your voice will change the world.”
Stay tuned for news of AUDIOSLAVE’s U.S. fall tour plans. Here’s what some of the critics have had to say about the band’s recent live shows:
“…a muscular, energetic hard rock band that teeters on the edge of greatness. Drummer Tom Commerford and bassist Brad Wilk are its large-caliber rhythm section, while the spotlight is shared by two stars: Cornell, who has the powerful, piercing voice of a classic metal singer, and guitarist Tom Morello…aggravated riffs and hip-hop-style solos…”
–Rafer Guzman, NEWSDAY, 5/2/05
“Morello’s guitar work is undoubtedly among the finest of the alt-rock generation, but of equal importance is the rhythmic bounce of bassist Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk…Cornell continues to be among rock’s most comfortably confident frontmen; while Morello spastically explodes from within on each note, the singer rarely strains when reaching for even the highest notes in his register.”
–Tom Kielty, BOSTON GLOBE, 4/30/05
“…Cornell does have a great rock voice…Cornell’s bandmates, guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk, sounded fantastic. They are a tight outfit that can really make each other shine. Morello’s style is a little unconventional, but he can make his guitar sound as sweet as pie or as scratchy as a DJ’s turntable in the blink of an eye. Commerford’s basslines were solid, and along with Wilks drumming formed a foundation for the songs that was unwavering.”
–Ken Smith, SEATTLE POST INTELLIGENCER, 5/14/05
“He (Chris Cornell) played the crowd like a master, having it chant the band’s name, sing along to familiar songs and cheer his references to memorable Soundgarden shows in the same venue…Songs from the new album were impressive, with as much power as songs from the debut ‘Audioslave’ CD but with even more inventive guitar solos from the incredible Morello, who can make his guitar sound like a synthesizer, channel Jimi Hendrix or update classic riffs. He was amazing.”
–Patrick Macdonald, SEATTLE TIMES, 5/14/05
“Audioslave, fronted by Chris Cornell, turned in one of the best performances of Weenie Roast XII…The incomparable Tom Morello, easily among the greatest of post-Hendrix guitarists…and a masterful excavation of this supergroup’s shared past that surely will live long in Weenie Roast legend.”
–Ben Wener, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 5/22/05
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