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A road often travelled

Audioslave / Seether / 30 Seconds to Mars
Eagles Ballroom
Milwuakee, WI
Nov. 11, 2005
30 Seconds to Mars
30 Seconds to Mars
Seether
Seether
Audioslave
Chris Cornell of Audioslave

Story and photos by Phil Bonyata

Audioslave formed in late 2000 from the ashes of Rage Against The Machine and Soundgarden - two of the '90s biggest alt-rock acts. Fast forward to 2005 and witness a sold out Eagles Ballroom. While not completely emerging from the giant shadows of their defining bands - Audioslave has nonetheless found it's niche in today's rock world.
Opening the show with "Your Time Has Come" off of their latest release Out of Exile in convincing fasion. Audioslave's anthemic antiwar song found singer Chris Cornell's distinctive voice leading the bands' battle cry. "Set It Off" and "Doesn't Remind Me" both featured guitarist Tom Morello's colossal guitar riffs. "Be Yourself" had Cornell releasing the chorus through pained vocal filtrations. AudioslaveHe has model good looks but somehow fails in the charisma department as a lead singer. His stage mannerisms seemed lackluster and devoid of real passion. Morello on the other hand is the true star of the band - wielding his mighty axe and exuding enough raw energy to makeup for the absence of Cornells. The overly optimistic power ballad "Be Yourself" played as safely as a Sunday morning drive tuned into the AM dial. "I Am the Highway" continued the downward spiral as Cornell's cliched lyrics were as painfully forced. Just as Rage and Soundgarden were at their best when they went pure hard rock and that's where Audioslave is at its best as well.
Some real treats were when the band culled songs from their previous jobs. Soungarden's "Spoonman," "Black Hole Sun" and "Fell On Black Days" found new life with the more than able backing of Morello, bassist Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk. On Rage Against the Machine's "Killing In the Name" Cornell's voice lent a melodic quality often missing on former Rage frontman Zack de la Rocha's delivery.
The night ended with a blistering version of "Cochise." Bright, fat and full of muscle it was a brutal reminder of how much talent these four musicians still possess.
Openers 30 Seconds to Mars featuring heartthrob actor Jared Leto ("Requiem for a Dream," "Urban Legend," "The Thin Red Line," "Alexander"...) played some fast post hardcore in convincing fashion. On songs "Capricorn (A Brand New Name),"Buddha For Mary," "ATTACK," "A Beautiful Lie" and "Battle of One." The band's talents are grounded in giant choruses and excellent songwriting. Their penchant for funky interludes and unpredictable changes in style make them a band to keep an eye on.
Seether's lackluster attempt at emo-metal was pretty bad. The whole genre of mixing whining lyrics and hardcore metal should be erased forever from our collective memories (do you hear me Staind)! On metallic tearjerkers "Burrito" and "Remedy" you get the urge to punch yourself in the face. I only wish that Seether could slither back into their hole and spare us the pain.

Jared Leto
Jared Leto
Audioslave
Audioslave
Audioslave
Audioslave
Seether
Seether
Jared Leto
Jared Leto
Audioslave
Audioslave
Audioslave
Audioslave
Audioslave
Audioslave
Audioslave
Audioslave

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