Where Are They Now? - The Headliners Of Download 2003

Following the break-up of Rage Against the Machine in 2000, members Tim Commerford, Tom Morello, and Brad Wilk all elected to remain as a unit and to make new music with a fresh vocalist. Opting not to bring in another rapper (delaying an inevitable B-Real-fronted RATM act until 2016's Prophets of Rage), it was in fact mega-producer Rick Rubin who recommended former Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell to the lads, to which all parties noted the "instant chemistry" between the four.

While the group would end up lacking longevity, they would certainly leave their mark in musical history; earning three Grammy Award nominations and becoming the first American band to play an open-air concert in the socialist republic of Cuba.

Despite Audioslave not being the first choice for Download (they would occupy the space left by Limp Bizkit), Audioslave carried enough star power, talent, plus a debut album featuring "Cochise", "Show Me How to Live" and "Like a Stone" to more than warrant the top spot at the festival. The group would never step back into Download before their break-up in 2007, less than six months following the release of their third album 'Revelations'.

A 2017 reunion was sadly cut short due to the sudden passing of Cornell in the May of that year.