Audioslave TShirTS,

Audioslave PosTerS

Audioslave was an alternative/hard rock supergroup that consisted of the instrumentalists of Rage Against the Machine: Tom Morello (guitar), Tim Commerford (bass and back-up vocals) and Brad Wilk (drums), together with Chris Cornell of Soundgarden (lead vocals and rhythm guitar) as their lead singer. The band formed shortly after the break-up of Rage Against the Machine.

On February 15, 2007, Chris Cornell issued a statement that he was leaving, shortly after Morello, Commerford and Wilk reunited with their former vocalist Zack de la Rocha to reform Rage. This put Audioslave's future into question and the remaining members are yet to announce whether they intend to continue performing with another singer or together as a band at all. 

While Rage Against the Machine's music was politically influenced, Audioslave's originally was not, as Chris Cornell said he did not want to become the new singer of Rage Against the Machine and needed the freedom to write lyrics which were not overtly political. However, some songs on their newest album, Revelations, are politically influenced, which was explained by Cornell who says that he always tries to evoke his feelings into lyrics with no matter of subject. Audioslave is part of the "Axis of Justice", which is a non-profit organization formed by Tom Morello and Serj Tankian of System of a Down. Its purpose is to "bring together musicians, fans of music, and grassroots political organizations to fight for social justice." Despite their newfound ability to remain traditional artists without direct political involvement, Audioslave has remained active in politics. Some of their music videos, their affiliation with other political bands, and the foundation of the Axis of Justice is testament to the "Rage Against the Machine" vibe still lingering in the three instrumental musicians.

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