Two giant musical forces from the ’90s have joined forces to form one super group for the new millennium. Unfortunately, there’s nothing super about this band.

-Audioslave consists of former Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell and former Rage Against the Machine members Tim Commerford, Brad Wilk and Tom Morello.

Soundgarden was about emotion and the darkness of the human psyche; Rage was about politics and rebellion. Now they have come together to become just another average, mediocre hard-rock band. While they deserve more credit than some of the younger bands out there today, there’s really nothing special about Audioslave or its new self-tiled album.

There are obvious influences from both Soundgarden and Rage here. The second song on the album, “Show Me How to Live” bares a striking resemblance to a classic Soundgarden song, “The Day I Tried to Live.” At the same time, “Light My Way” features the same guitar stylings that Morello used in a number of Rage’s most popular songs.

The album’s lyrics are its strong point. The lines from “Shadow on the Sun” are a perfect example of what Cornell is known for: “I can tell you why/ People die alone/ I can tell you I’m/ a shadow on the sun.” Unfortunately, it’s Cornell’s voice that doesn’t sound quite the same as it did in his Soundgarden days. It is just a little too high-pitched and scratchy at times.

Perhaps the best song on the record is “Hypnotize.” It’s a little more upbeat and is a nice change from all the dreariness on the rest of the CD. Wilk’s drum beat is fast and funky. The added little electronic sound effects (made entirely with guitar, bass, drums and vocals), spice the track up a little bit, and Cornell’s lyrics such as, “Oh no don’t you keep your good luck to yourself” round everything off. And as usual, Morello does some things with his guitar that most musicians never have attempted.

Audioslave’s potential is high, and maybe they can reach that potential if they attempt another album but, for now, “Audioslave” is just another album on the shelf.