Audioslave is the debut studio album by American rock supergroup Audioslave, released on November 18, 2002, through Epic Records and Interscope Records.

In the United States, it has been certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album spawned the singles “Cochise“, “Like a Stone“, “Show Me How to Live“, “I Am the Highway“, and “What You Are“; “Like a Stone” was nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance at the 46th Grammy Awards.

After Zack de la Rocha left Rage Against the Machine, the remaining members of the band began to look for a new vocalist. Producer and friend Rick Rubin suggested they contact Chris Cornell and played them the Soundgarden song “Slaves & Bulldozers” to showcase his ability. Cornell was in the process of writing material for a second solo album when Tom Morello, Tim Commerford, and Brad Wilk approached him, but he decided to shelve that and pursue the opportunity to work with them.

Speaking about the first time Cornell jammed with the band, Morello said: “He stepped to the microphone and sang the song and I couldn’t believe it. It didn’t just sound good. It didn’t sound great. It sounded transcendent. And … when there is an irreplaceable chemistry from the first moment, you can’t deny it.”^[7] The new quartet wrote 21 songs during 19 days of rehearsal and started recording their first album in late May 2001.^[8][9]