Like Velvet Revolver (but with a more political bent), Audioslave appeared in the mid-2000s as a post-grunge supergroup pounding out stripped-down heavy rock. The band is spearheaded by Chris Cornell, whose wailing vocals formerly graced archetypal '90s grunge band Soundgarden, and erstwhile Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello. The band's self-titled 2003 debut album made Audioslave an instant success, proving that there was still some life left in the hard-rock template.