Audioslave: Revelations

Herald rating: * * *

Rejoice all rock music fans because Chris Cornell, the former front man for Soundgarden and singer in Audioslave, has stopped sulking. On the band's third album, Revelations, you won't catch him wailing morosely like he did on Like A Stone from their 2003 debut.

His voice has a bite this time round, rather than a ponderous drawl. In fact, Revelations is their best album yet and they are now a band, rather than two spliced together.

Unlike their previous two albums, this one has more teeth, and often, like on the relentless last track, Moth, they're filed down to deadly sharp points. That penetration is a quality Cornell and ex-Rage members Tom Morello (guitar), Tim Commerford (bass), and Brad Wilk (drums), have lacked since forming this super group.

The band is hugely popular, but their albums have been a little stolid and samey. You wondered whether they were just getting by on legacy.

Revelations proves otherwise, although it's still not entirely convincing. The dazzling highs include Moth, the epic dirge of Shape of Things To Come, and lilting ballad Until We Fall. Then there's Sound Of A Gun and Broken City (an especially clumsy jaunt) that still have a workman-like plod.

So we're still waiting for the killer Audioslave album that was expected, considering their pedigree. Hate to live in the past, but sometimes Audioslave's lack of variety reminds you how good the old days were.

Verdict: Solid, but we're still waiting for the potential to be fully realised

Label: Sony BMG/Epic