It’s hard to shake the bummer of a shark frenzy of a deathwatch when listening to Audioslave. And it’s quite an interesting collective ether-floating thing people are picking up on (pricking their ears to, wrinkling their noses at) when they ponder Audioslave. It’s like they were doomed by their dumb name, double doomed by the corporate vibe around the band, triple doomed by the merger aspect… it was almost too good to be true and to work and so it doesn’t, whatever that means. It’s hard to filter all that out, but then again, it might be why there seems to be this separation between the guys, some strange lack of chemistry even casual observers pick up on. And Rick Rubin doesn’t help things – he’s starting to be into these records as a liability somehow. Having said that, Revelations is getting some good reviews, critics noticing its funk more than anything. Tom Morello keeps amusing with his quack guitar, Cornell’s voice is smooth and silky, and then, well, the rhythm section sounds like they’re in another room. It’s like the production is just too clean and expensive or something. And it’s not like Revelations screams a purpose or direction – it’s like the other ones, an interesting idea, but soul-less, and definitely not rocking out, like some of the early warnings would have had us believe. I dunno, you don’t feel like you’re hearing this in a roomful of ardent rock fans, more like a boardroom, which defies logic, given who the goddamn band are.