System Of A Down frontman Serj Tankian made a surprise guest appearance with Prophets Of Rage over the weekend to pay tribute to Chris Cornell.
He took to the stage with the band’s Tom Morello, Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk, who previously played with Cornell in Audioslave, for a stirring version of Like A Stone at Germany’s Rock im Park festival.
Prophets Of Rage vocalists Chuck D and B Real took a step back for the performance but remained onstage to encourage the crowd to clap and sing along to the song which originally appeared on Audioslave’s self-titled debut album in 2002.
Cornell was found dead in his Detroit hotel room last month following a show with Soundgarden, with the coroner’s office ruling his death as “suicide by hanging.” Toxicology reports stated that although Cornell had several prescription drugs in his system when he died, they did not contribute to the singer’s death.
Guitarist Morello was one of the first to pay tribute to his former bandmate, saying: “I love you, brother. Thank you for your friendship and your humour and your intellect and your singular and unmatched talent. It was a great honour to know you as a friend and as a band mate.
“I am devastated and deeply saddened that you are gone dear friend, but your unbridled rock power, delicate haunting melodies and the memory of your smile are with us forever.
“Your beautiful voice and beautiful self will always be in my heart.”
Morello, Commerford and Wilk are in this month’s edition of Metal Hammer magazine in a cover feature celebrating 25 years of Rage Against The Machine. It’s out now.
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