Audioslave was an American hard rock supergroup that formed in Los Angeles, California in 2001. It consisted of ex-Soundgarden frontman and rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell and the former instrumentalists of Rage Against the Machine; Tom Morello (lead guitar), Tim Commerford (bass and backing vocals) and Brad Wilk (drums). Critics initially described Audioslave as an amalgamation of Rage Against the Machine and Soundgarden, but by the band's second album, Out of Exile, noted that it had established a separate identity.

The band's trademark sound was created by blending 1970s hard rock with 1990s grunge. Moreover, Morello incorporated his well-known, unconventional guitar solos into this mix. As with Rage Against the Machine, the band prided themselves on the fact that all sounds on their albums were produced using only guitar, bass, drums and vocals; no samples were ever used.

After Audioslave released three successful albums, received three Grammy nominations, sold more than eight million records worldwide, and became the first American rock band to perform an open-air concert in Cuba, Cornell issued a statement that he was permanently leaving the band "due to irresolvable personality conflicts as well as musical differences". The announcement came less than a month after Morello, Commerford and Wilk announced that Rage Against the Machine would be reuniting. As the three were busy with reunion performances, and Morello and Cornell each released solo albums in 2007, Audioslave was officially disbanded.

After Zack de la Rocha put an end to Rage Against the Machine , the remaining members reformed as Audioslave with former Soundgarden vocalist, Chris Cornell , in 2001. They released their self-titled full-length debut in 2002, which reached multi-platinum status based despite the commercial success of the single Cochise . The music is fueled by Cornell’s powerful voice, Tom Morello’s unique and unconventional style of guitar playing, Tim Commerford’s smooth and funky basslines, and Brad Wi