The singer pesters a friend on a destructive path to change his ways (“Cochise”). “Light My Way” and “Show Me How to Live” are prayerful appeals for divine guidance. “Hypnotize” tells a beneficiary of good luck to share it with someone less fortunate. “Exploder” sees a falsely imprisoned man at peace with himself (“When he smiled at me Icould understand/If you’re free you’ll never see the walls … If you’re right, you’ll never fear the wrong”), however …
That cryptic track also speaks of a woman committing suicide, and has the singer stating, “I saw him in the mirror and … I shot him in the head/Then I came to realize I had killed myself.” While it may be intended as a metaphor for expelling one’s demons, “Gasoline” finds an arsonist ready to torch a house. Theological miscues on “Like a Stone” include praying “like a pagan” to “gods, angels and anyone who will take me to heaven.” Amidst a powerful tribute to Martin Luther King Jr., “Set It Off” repeatedly uses the f-word to punctuate its social statement.
Since Audioslave is comprised of Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell and a trio of rockers from Rage Against the Machine, the amount of redemptive content is a pleasant surprise. Still, shackles of obscenity, spiritual confusion and ambiguously violent imagery make it a mixed bag.
