When Chris Cornell sings, "the original fire has died and gone," he's talking about punk rock. But you have to wonder whether he's making an oblique reference to Audioslave.

Now that Cornell has announced he's making another solo album and recording the next James Bond theme on his own, speculation is that the band's third album -- a curiously fast followup to last year's Out of Exile -- will also turn out to be their last contractual-obligation gasp.

Maybe there's something to it and maybe not -- but listening to these dozen tracks, you can easily get the sense the band may be starting to run out of steam.

The songs are slower. The grooves are deeper and funkier. The melodies are stronger. The vocals are more soulful -- Cornell only unleashes his banshee wail sporadically -- and there are more harmonies.

Tom Morello's guitar riffs are sparser and more straightforward, with the fretboard pyrotechnics relegated to midsong solos. Sure, plenty of these dozen tracks still rock. But they rock in a far more subdued way than their predecessors.

A couple of the mellower cuts -- like the wah-wah laden Broken City -- sound more like Red Hot Chili Peppers than Rage Against the Soundgarden. Admittedly, it all combines to make this the band's most textured and accessible disc.

But you also have to wonder if this newfound subtlety will come as a revelation to their original headbanging fanbase.

Or if they'll be willing to keep that fire burning until Cornell and co. decide their next moves.

Track Listing:

1. Revelations
2. One And The Same
3. Sound Of A Gun
4. Until We Fall
5. Original Fire
6. Broken City
7. Somedays
8. Shape Of Things To Come
9. Jewel Of The Summertime
10. Wide Awake
11. Nothing Left To Say But Goodbye
12. Moth