Serj Tankian Joins Tom Morello for Stunning 'Like a Stone' Tribute to Chris Cornell
By James H. Sterling
Audioslave compositions are notoriously deceptive. Built on basic verse-chorus-verse structures, their weight depends entirely on tone, dynamics, and vocal resonance. "Like a Stone" centers around a minor key progression, with verses floating over a simple bassline and single-note guitar accents.
In the original cut, Cornell used subtle chest-voice warmth during the verse before pushing hard into a distorted mix voice for the chorus, reaching high G notes with immense air pressure. Tankian bypassed that distortion altogether. Relying on his classical Armenian folk influences and theater-honed diaphragm control, he approached the high notes with a cleaner, open-throat vocal placement.
This technical choice shielded Tankian from vocal strain while giving the lyric, "In your house I long to be / Room by room, patiently", a distinct, haunting cadence. The audience response captured in the pro-shot audio highlights the success of this decision; crowd noise swelled noticeably as listeners realized Tankian was honoring Cornell's intent without imitating his voice.
James Sterling reports on renewable energy developments, climate policy, ecological conservation, and green tech innovations around the globe.
