Audioslave

Audioslave pulled off something few other "supergroups'' have: they created a sound all their own while rivalling their respective former bands' commercial success. When Zach de la Rocha left Rage Against the Machine in 2000, guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk invited Soundgarden's magnetic leader Chris Cornell to fill in behind the mic. Under their new moniker, the L.A.-based quartet would arrive with a vengeance, delivering high-octane thriller "Cochise", the first track and lead single from their 2002 self-titled debut album. The song had all the raw ingredients to satiate fans still mourning the loss of two of the most influential bands of the '90s: Cornell's thunderous roars easily matched Commerford and Wilk's pounding, relentless chug and Morello's fiery, fluttering riffs, but his moody, melodic touch would serve more as a balm than a bomb. Ballads such as "Like a Stone'' came to define Audioslave's sound—its softer, intricate rock arrangements allowing each member to exhale as intently as they could flex. The band's following and final two releases pushed that dynamic further. Their sound grew lighter and leaner with empowering anthems like "Be Yourself" from 2005's Out of Exile, and lither and looser with the funk-driven forays of 2006's swan song, Revelations. Audioslave officially called it quits in 2007; Rage and Soundgarden both reunited, but Audioslave would come back together for one final performance in 2017 at Prophet of Rage's Anti-Inaugural Ball to protest President Donald Trump's inauguration. Just four months later, Cornell took his own life, leaving an unparallelled legacy as one of rock's most transcendent voices.