Out of Exile

Out of Exile
Studio album by Audioslave
Released	May 23, 2005 (Europe) May 24, 2005 (USA)
Recorded	July 2004–January 2005 at Cello Studios, Hollywood, CA; Akadamie Mathematique of Philosophical Sound Research, Los Angeles, CA and Sunset Sound, Los Angeles, CA
Genre	Hard rock, alternative rock, alternative metal, post-grunge
Length	53:38
Label	Interscope
Producer	Rick Rubin, Audioslave
Audioslave chronology
Audioslave (2002) Out of Exile (2005) Revelations (2006)
Singles from Out of Exile
"Be Yourself" Released: February 2, 2005 "Out of Exile" Released: June 24, 2005 "Doesn't Remind Me" Released: October 27, 2005 "Your Time Has Come" Released: October 31, 2005

Out of Exile is the second studio album by the American rock supergroup Audioslave, first released on May 23, 2005 internationally, and a day later in the United States. It is the band's only number one album on the Billboard 200. Four singles were released: "Be Yourself", "Your Time Has Come", "Doesn't Remind Me", and "Out of Exile". "Doesn't Remind Me" was nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance at the 2006 Grammy Awards.

Background

Drummer Brad Wilk explained: "Audioslave the band has arrived. The first record was people from two other bands with history attached. I don't feel that with this record."^[1] Chris Cornell admitted to writing his most personal songs ever on this album, influenced by the positive changes in his life since 2002.^[2] He also described the album as more varied than the debut and relying less on heavy guitar riffs.^[3]

On May 6, 2005, Audioslave played a free show in Havana, Cuba.^[4] Audioslave became the first American rock group to perform a concert in Cuba, playing in front of an audience of 70,000.^[5] The band traveled to Havana on May 4 to interact with Cuban musicians.^[6] Cornell commented: "Hopefully, this concert will help to open the musical borders between our two countries." The 26-song set concert was the longest the band had ever played.^[7] Many songs from Out of Exile were performed at the concert, held three weeks prior to the release date, making these the first live performances of the tracks from this album. The concert was documented on the Live in Cuba DVD released in October of the same year.

Reception

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	67/100[8]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[9]
The Austin Chronicle	[10]
Blabbermouth.net	(6.5/10)[11]
Robert Christgau	[12]
Entertainment Weekly	C+[13]
Los Angeles Times	[14]
Pitchfork Media	(6.8/10)[15]
PopMatters	[16]
Rolling Stone	[17]
Slant Magazine	[18]

Critical response was mostly warm, highlighting the fact that the band was working towards defining its own sound, as opposed to just Rage Against the Machine fronted by Cornell. Critics initially described Audioslave as an amalgamation of Rage Against the Machine and Soundgarden,^[19] but by the band's second album, Out of Exile, noted that they had established a separate identity. The album was received more favorably than Audioslave's debut; critics noted Cornell's stronger vocals, likely the result of quitting smoking and drinking,^[20] and pointed out that Out of Exile is "the sound of a band coming into its own."^[21] Allmusic praised the album as "lean, hard, strong, and memorable."^[22] The lyrics, however, were still a common complaint; musicOMH.com wrote that Cornell's lyrics "continue to border on the ridiculous."^[23] The album was chosen as one of Amazon.com's Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2005.

Commercial performance

Out of Exile was released in May 2005 and debuted at number one on the U.S. charts. The album has since gone on to achieve platinum status.

Track listing

All lyrics written by Chris Cornell; all music composed by Audioslave.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Your Time Has Come"	4:15
2.	"Out of Exile"  Listen "	4:51
3.	"Be Yourself"  Listen "	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
Total length:		53:38

Note

• In the song "Drown Me Slowly", a melody line can be heard in the background during the bridge that is also in the song "Sound of a Gun" from their 2006 album 'Revelations'.

Personnel

• Mixed by Brendan O'Brien.
• Mixed at Record Plant Studios, Los Angeles, CA and Southern Tracks, Atlanta, GA.
• Additional Engineering by Billy Bowers.
• Mastered by Stephen Marcussen at Marcussen Mastering.
• Produced by Rick Rubin.
• Album Cover by Antony Nagelmann.
• Art Direction by Robert Fisher.
• Photography by Ethan Russell.

Line-up

• Chris Cornell – vocals
• Tom Morello – guitar
• Tim Commerford – bass guitar/backing vocals
• Brad Wilk – drums

Additional personnel

• Lindsay Chase – coordination
• Jason Gossman – assistant
• Dan Leffler – assistant
• Billy Mims – assistant
• Jonny Polonsky – Assistant
• Thom Russo – engineer
• Jim Scott – engineer
• Brian Virtue – engineer

Chart positions

Chart succession

References

External links

• Out of Exile at Metacritic