The supergroup’s debut hits hard

Audioslave hammered the muscle and musicianship of Rage Against the Machine and Soundgarden into a shape that was new yet still recognisable. On their 2002 debut, Chris Cornell's Beatles-derived sense of melody and sky-shaking vocal prowess and Tom Morello's furiously rhythmic guitar assault blended perfectly on the riff blasters "Cochise" and "Show Me How to Live". But it was Audioslave's graceful touch with cinematic, slow-building ballads such as "Shadow on the Sun" and "Like a Stone" that felt like new ground for all parties involved.