Out of Exile
Out of Exile is the second studio album by the American rock supergroup Audioslave, consisting of vocalist Chris Cornell (formerly of Soundgarden) and former members of Rage Against the Machine—guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford, and drummer Brad Wilk—released on May 24, 2005, in the United States by Epic and Interscope Records.[1][2] Produced by Rick Rubin and mixed by Brendan O'Brien, the album features 12 tracks blending hard rock, alternative rock, and post-grunge elements, with a runtime of approximately 54 minutes.[3][4][5] Upon release, Out of Exile debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 197,000 copies in its first week in the United States, marking Audioslave's first chart-topping album.[6] The album spawned four singles: "Be Yourself," "Your Time Has Come," "Doesn't Remind Me," and the title track "Out of Exile," with "Be Yourself" achieving significant success by topping the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for seven weeks and the Modern Rock Tracks chart for four weeks, while peaking at number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100.[7][8][9][10] Critically, the album received generally positive reviews for its matured songwriting and Cornell's powerful vocals, though some noted it did not fully escape the shadows of the members' previous bands. In 2025, to commemorate its 20th anniversary, Interscope Records reissued Out of Exile as a limited-edition double LP on "Silver Wave" colored vinyl through the Interscope Vinyl Collective series.[3]Background and development
Band context
Audioslave formed in 2001 in Glendale, California, as a supergroup uniting vocalist and rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell, formerly of Soundgarden, with guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford, and drummer Brad Wilk from Rage Against the Machine, following the latter band's split after frontman Zack de la Rocha's departure.[11] The collaboration emerged from informal jam sessions organized by producer Rick Rubin, who sought to pair Cornell's powerful voice with the instrumental prowess of Morello, Commerford, and Wilk, blending elements of grunge, hard rock, and funk into a fresh rock sound.[12] This formation marked a significant pivot for all members, allowing them to explore new creative territories outside their established legacies. The band faced significant challenges during their early days, including a temporary disbandment in March 2002 when Cornell quit amid personal crises, leading to the cancellation of their announced appearance at Ozzfest 2002 and logistical issues from managerial disputes.[13][14][15] The supergroup's origins also fueled struggles with forging a cohesive identity distinct from Soundgarden's brooding intensity or Rage Against the Machine's political aggression. Despite these hurdles, the members reconciled by late summer 2002, allowing them to release their self-titled debut album in November 2002, which achieved commercial success but drew mixed critical reception. Following the debut, Cornell's longstanding battle with alcohol and drug addiction intensified, prompting intervention from his bandmates and a rehab stay in late 2002.[16] Cornell's commitment to sobriety, achieved shortly after rehab and sustained through 2003, represented a pivotal personal turning point that stabilized the band's trajectory leading into their second album.[15] Extensive touring in support of the debut throughout 2003 further solidified their chemistry, fostering greater trust and collaboration among the members. This evolution culminated in a more unified sonic approach by 2004, as the band prepared to record Out of Exile, shifting from the debut's tentative blend toward a confident, integrated rock expression reflective of their growing synergy.[17]Songwriting process
Chris Cornell served as the primary lyricist and melodist for Out of Exile, infusing the songs with themes drawn from his personal journey of recovery and sobriety, which he had achieved in 2002 with the support of his bandmates. This personal touch is evident in tracks like "Your Time Has Come," where Cornell reflects on his own near-death experiences and the losses of friends to addiction, marking some of the most introspective writing of his career.[18][15] Tom Morello played a key role in the songwriting through his signature riff-based approach, crafting guitar-driven structures that provided the foundational energy for the album's hard rock sound. Morello described the collaborative dynamic with Cornell as highly intuitive, where Cornell could quickly develop compelling melodies over Morello's riffs, fostering a seamless integration of elements from their respective backgrounds in Soundgarden and Rage Against the Machine.[19][20] The band engaged in intensive collaborative jamming sessions during pre-production in early 2004, which allowed them to develop material organically at a rapid pace—often completing a new song each day. This process marked a notable shift from the more tense and experimental writing of their debut album, as Cornell's sobriety enabled a more focused and theme-driven approach, emphasizing cohesion and emotional depth across the record.[20][18]Recording and production
Studio sessions
The recording sessions for Out of Exile spanned from July 2004 to January 2005, allowing the band to develop their material following extensive touring in support of their debut album.[21] These sessions primarily took place at Cello Studios and Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, with additional work at the Akademie Mathematique of Philosophical Sound Research, also in Los Angeles.[22]Production team and techniques
The production of Audioslave's Out of Exile was led by renowned producer Rick Rubin, who co-produced the album alongside the band members, drawing on his signature approach to emphasize an organic, live-band aesthetic.[23] Rubin, known for his work with acts like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Johnny Cash, guided the sessions to prioritize raw energy over polished perfection, resulting in a sound that captured the band's chemistry without excessive layering.[18] Engineering duties were primarily handled by Brian Virtue, a collaborator of Rubin's who had previously worked on projects like Jane's Addiction's Strays, ensuring high-fidelity captures of the band's performances at studios including Cello Studios and Sunset Sound in Los Angeles.[24][25] Mixing was entrusted to Brendan O'Brien, whose contributions lent the tracks a dynamic clarity and warmth, balancing the heavy instrumentation with Chris Cornell's soaring vocals.[23] O'Brien, celebrated for his work on albums by Pearl Jam and Bruce Springsteen, refined the recordings to highlight the album's rock foundation while maintaining a sense of immediacy. Under Rubin's direction, the team employed techniques focused on minimal overdubs to preserve authenticity, opting instead for complete band takes recorded in a single room to harness the group's interplay and spontaneous energy.[18] A key aspect of the production was Rubin's emphasis on vocal clarity, allowing Cornell's expressive range to cut through the mix without reverb-heavy treatments, which amplified the emotional depth of tracks like "Be Yourself" and "Out of Exile."[18] Additionally, Rubin played a pivotal role in streamlining the arrangements, taking the band's initial raw demos—often developed through daily collaborative writing sessions—and tightening them into concise, impactful structures that enhanced the album's cohesive flow.[18]Music and lyrics
Musical style
Out of Exile maintains a hard rock core infused with alternative rock and post-grunge elements, marking an evolution from the raw, aggressive edge of Audioslave's self-titled debut to more polished and melodic structures.[26] This refinement allows the album to balance intense, riff-driven tracks with broader sonic palettes, incorporating alt-rock dynamics that enhance its anthemic quality.[27] The result is a cohesive sound that fuses 1970s hard rock influences with 1990s alternative sensibilities, creating a mature progression in the band's style.[26] Tom Morello's guitar work stands out through innovative effects, such as whammy bar manipulations and delay pedals, which build layered textures across the album.[28] These techniques produce dazzling leads and keyboard-like sounds, as heard in tracks like "Drown Me Slowly" and "Yesterday to Tomorrow," adding visceral depth and a DJ-inspired flair to the hard rock foundation.[29] Morello's approach evolves the debut's raw innovation into more integrated, melodic layers that support the album's overall polish.[27] The rhythmic drive provided by bassist Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk incorporates subtle funk and soul grooves, underpinning the album's energy with tight, professional precision.[29] This foundation drives raunchy, groove-oriented songs like the title track, blending hard rock heft with rhythmic nuance reminiscent of 1960s influences.[27] Their contributions ensure a dynamic pulse that propels both heavy sections and more introspective moments.[26] Spanning 53:38 across 12 tracks, Out of Exile features dynamic shifts from heavy riffs in anthems like "Your Time Has Come" to acoustic-leaning ballads such as "Drown Me Slowly," showcasing the band's versatility within its hard rock framework.[26] These variations highlight the album's balance of intensity and melody, contributing to its refined sonic identity.[27]Lyrical themes
The lyrics of Out of Exile center on themes of redemption, isolation, and self-discovery, reflecting Chris Cornell's personal journey through sobriety and emotional recovery. Cornell, who achieved sobriety in 2002, reflected on his emotional recovery in the lyrics, which informed the introspective tone of many songs as he processed past addictions and personal lows.[30] This newfound clarity allowed him to explore redemption as a process of emerging from self-imposed exile, symbolizing both literal struggles with substance abuse and metaphorical isolation from his earlier career phases.[31] The album's title track, "Out of Exile," exemplifies these motifs through imagery of an island-bound figure yearning for reconnection with loved ones and the mainland, representing a profound sense of personal and creative liberation after years of turmoil. Cornell drew inspiration from the anticipation of fatherhood and personal reconnection for the lyrics, as he later explained in interviews.[32] This theme draws from his post-Soundgarden hiatus and integration into Audioslave with ex-Rage Against the Machine members, evoking an emotional exile from familiar musical identities and the rock lifestyle's excesses.[18] Cornell's poetic style on the album emphasizes intimate introspection blended with broadly relatable appeals to resilience, deliberately avoiding the overt political commentary that defined Rage Against the Machine's output. Unlike Zack de la Rocha's activist-driven lyrics, Cornell focused on universal human experiences, prioritizing emotional authenticity over ideological statements.[33] In "Be Yourself," these elements converge on self-discovery and authenticity, with Cornell drawing from his own history of trying to conform to others' expectations during personal crises, urging listeners to embrace their true selves even through repeated mistakes. The song underscores redemption as an ongoing commitment to genuineness amid isolation's temptations.[34] "Doesn't Remind Me" further illustrates detachment from past traumas, portraying a protagonist seeking mundane distractions—like walking foreign streets or simple rituals—to evade painful memories and unhelpful consolations such as religion. This approach ties directly to Cornell's sobriety, highlighting recovery as a deliberate avoidance of triggers to foster inner peace.[35] The lyrical introspection is amplified by the album's dynamic musical style, where heavy riffs underscore moments of emotional release.Release and promotion
Album release
Out of Exile was released internationally on May 23, 2005, and in the United States on May 24, 2005, by Epic and Interscope Records.[2] The album was issued in standard formats such as CD, vinyl LP, and digital download, with various regional pressings available through major retailers.[36] Special editions included bonus content, such as the UK CD version featuring a live recording of "Like a Stone" as an additional track.[37] The cover artwork, designed by Antony Nagelmann, depicts a solitary figure traversing a desolate landscape, evoking the album's central themes of exile and introspection.[38] Initial marketing tie-ins encompassed radio premieres of lead tracks to heighten pre-release buzz ahead of the global rollout.[27]Singles
"Be Yourself" served as the lead single from Out of Exile, released on February 2, 2005, to radio in the United States.[39] The accompanying music video, directed by Francis Lawrence, was filmed in an abandoned hotel in downtown Los Angeles and features symbolic, dreamlike imagery of the band members wandering through desolate rooms and corridors.[40] "Your Time Has Come" followed as a promotional single on May 3, 2005, aligning with the album's launch. The music video, directed by Steve Rees, captures live performance footage from Audioslave's historic 2005 concert in Havana, Cuba—the first by an American rock band since the 1959 revolution—intercut with candid scenes of the group traveling, rehearsing, and interacting in urban Cuban settings.[41] The third single, "Doesn't Remind Me," arrived on July 5, 2005, and earned a nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards in 2006.[42] Its music video, directed by Chris Milk, depicts a young boy processing the loss of his soldier father through imaginative play and repression, emphasizing themes of grief and escapism without featuring the band.[43] "Out of Exile" was released as the fourth promotional single in 2005.[44] The singles were issued in multiple formats, including enhanced CD maxi-singles, 7-inch picture disc vinyl, and promotional CDs with radio edits trimmed for airplay. B-sides on select releases featured live recordings, such as a version of "Like a Stone" from "Be Yourself," and remixes like the T-Ray version of "Show Me How to Live."[45]Touring and live performances
Promotional tours
To generate pre-release buzz for Out of Exile, Audioslave staged a landmark free concert in Havana, Cuba, on May 6, 2005, becoming the first U.S. rock band to perform there since the 1959 revolution and drawing an estimated crowd of 70,000.[27] This event, organized in collaboration with the U.S. State Department and local authorities, highlighted the band's international appeal and was captured for the Live in Cuba DVD released later that year, further amplifying media coverage.[27] The campaign included high-profile TV and media appearances to reach a broad rock audience. Audioslave performed on the globally broadcast Live 8 concert in Berlin on July 2, 2005, as part of the Out of Exile promotional efforts, alongside sessions for MTV at the Roskilde Festival and AOL's online-streamed Sessions @ AOL in August 2005, featuring live renditions of album tracks like "Out of Exile" and "Be Yourself."[46] [47] [48] Initial tour strategies emphasized high-visibility global events before launching a North American arena tour in late September 2005, building on the Cuba and Live 8 momentum to sustain post-release engagement.[49]Notable live events
Audioslave's 2005 world tour in support of Out of Exile commenced on April 14 in Las Vegas, Nevada, marking the band's first major outing following the album's completion and serving as a platform to showcase new material alongside established hits.[50] The tour spanned North America initially, with subsequent legs across Europe and a return to North American arenas in the fall, featuring supporting acts such as Seether and Kasabian on select dates to amplify the hard rock energy of the performances.[51] One of the tour's most historic moments occurred on May 6, 2005, when Audioslave performed a free outdoor concert at the Anti-Imperialist Plaza in Havana, Cuba, drawing an estimated 70,000 attendees and becoming the first American rock band to play in the country since the 1959 revolution. The event, approved by both U.S. President George W. Bush and Cuban President Fidel Castro, was filmed and later released as the Live in Cuba DVD and album, capturing the band's set including debuts of Out of Exile tracks like "Be Yourself" and "Out of Exile" amid classics such as "Like a Stone." This performance not only highlighted the album's themes of redemption but also symbolized a rare cultural bridge amid U.S.-Cuba tensions.[52][53] The European leg of the tour featured prominent festival appearances, where Audioslave debuted additional Out of Exile songs to enthusiastic crowds. At T in the Park in Kinross, Scotland, on July 9, the band delivered a high-energy set blending new cuts like "Your Time Has Come" with fan favorites, while their July 2 slot at the Live 8 benefit concert in Berlin's Tiergarten park included a medley of "Black Hole Sun" and "Like a Stone" followed by Rage Against the Machine's "Killing in the Name," underscoring the supergroup's activist roots.[54][46] Other notable stops included Nova Rock in Austria and Hurricane Festival in Germany, where the band tested live arrangements of tracks such as "The Worm," contributing to the tour's momentum before the fall North American dates.[55][56] Throughout the tour's approximately 94 shows, setlists heavily emphasized Out of Exile material, with songs like "Be Yourself" (played 77 times), "Out of Exile" (47 times), and "Doesn't Remind Me" (74 times) forming the core, often comprising over half the performance alongside staples from the debut album and covers from Chris Cornell's Soundgarden era. This balance allowed the band to promote the new record while maintaining audience engagement, as evidenced by the consistent rotation of high-impact tracks that highlighted Tom Morello's innovative guitar effects and Cornell's soaring vocals.[57]Commercial performance
Chart positions
Out of Exile debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, marking Audioslave's first album to reach the top spot there, with its initial week propelled by strong opening sales. The album also achieved number-one debuts on the Canadian Albums Chart, the Norwegian Albums Chart (VG-lista), and the New Zealand Albums Chart (RIANZ). It entered the top ten in several other markets, peaking at number five on the UK Albums Chart, number seven on the Australian Albums Chart (ARIA), and number six on the German Albums Chart (Offizielle Top 100). The album's chart longevity on the Billboard 200 was notable, spending a total of 36 weeks on the ranking, with its position sustained in part by the successive releases of singles such as "Be Yourself" and "Doesn't Remind Me." In year-end tallies, Out of Exile ranked number 69 on the Billboard 200 for 2005.| Chart (2005) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA) | 7 |
| Billboard 200 (US) | 1 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard) | 1 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) | 6 |
| New Zealand Albums (RIANZ) | 1 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) | 1 |
| UK Albums (OCC) | 5 |
Sales and certifications
In the United States, Out of Exile was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on August 11, 2005, for shipments exceeding one million units.[58] The album earned gold certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in the United Kingdom for sales of 100,000 copies.[59] It received platinum certifications in Canada from Music Canada (100,000 units), Australia from the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for 70,000 units, and New Zealand from Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ) for 15,000 units, with the New Zealand certification updated to platinum in November 2024.[60][59] As of recent estimates, the album has sold approximately 1.3 million copies worldwide.[60] Following its initial commercial peak, sales declined in subsequent years, partly due to the band's disbandment in February 2007 amid internal conflicts.[61]Reception
Critical reception
Out of Exile received generally favorable reviews from music critics, earning a Metacritic aggregate score of 67 out of 100 based on 17 reviews, indicating generally favorable reviews with notable strengths in vocal performance and band dynamics.[62] Several publications highlighted Chris Cornell's commanding vocals and the improved cohesion among band members as key successes in this sophomore release. AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine awarded it 4 out of 5 stars, praising the album as "lean, hard, strong, and memorable," and emphasizing how it demonstrated Audioslave evolving into a genuine collaborative unit beyond their supergroup origins.[26] Spin gave it a high 91 out of 100, commending the emotional depth in tracks like "Your Time Has Come," where Cornell's lyrics evoke profound introspection, and noting the band's tight interplay, with Tom Morello's guitar work complementing the rhythm section's grooves to create a unified rock sound reminiscent of classic hard rock eras.[63] Critics also recognized the album's triumph over the anticipated sophomore slump, with many viewing it as a step forward in songwriting maturity and production polish.[29] However, not all feedback was unanimous; some pointed to formulaic riffs and inconsistent pacing as shortcomings. NME rated it 70 out of 100, describing it as "easy to knock but hard to dismiss" for lacking a distinctive overarching identity despite strong individual moments.[62] Entertainment Weekly scored it lower at 58 out of 100, critiquing the repetitious song structures and uneven energy that occasionally diluted the album's impact.[62]Commercial and fan response
Fans responded positively to the album's translation of the band's live energy into studio recordings, with many appreciating how tracks like "The Worm" captured a raw, powerful intensity reminiscent of their performances. User reviews on AllMusic highlighted this aspect, with one reviewer noting, "The raw energy translates so well from their live shows."[26] While some fans debated the album's departure from the heavier, more aggressive styles of Soundgarden and Rage Against the Machine—criticizing it for lacking their edge—overall reactions praised its increased accessibility and melodic approach, describing it as "easy to listen to yet still powerful." This balance contributed to broad appeal among rock audiences.[64]Album details
Track listing
All tracks are written by Chris Cornell, Tom Morello, Tim Commerford, and Brad Wilk (as Audioslave).[65] The standard edition contains the following 12 tracks, with a total runtime of 53:38.[36]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Your Time Has Come" | 4:15 |
| 2. | "Out of Exile" | 4:51 |
| 3. | "Be Yourself" | 4:39 |
| 4. | "Doesn't Remind Me" | 4:15 |
| 5. | "Drown Me Slowly" | 3:53 |
| 6. | "Heaven's Dead" | 4:36 |
| 7. | "The Worm" | 3:57 |
| 8. | "Man or Animal" | 3:53 |
| 9. | "Yesterday to Tomorrow" | 4:33 |
| 10. | "Dandelion" | 4:38 |
| 11. | "#1 Zero" | 4:59 |
| 12. | "The Curse" | 5:09 |