RAGE-CORNELL A GO—AGAIN

The on-again off-again project pairing Rage Against the Machine and former Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell—once known as Civilian—is on again.

The latest plot twist has the new band seeking a neutral third party for management of the project. Previously, the Rage boys were with Peter Mensch and Cliff Burnstein’s management company Q-Prime, while Cornell was managed by Jim Guerinot’s Rebel Waltz; the new project was co-managed by both companies. It’s unclear whether the respective management affiliations will continue outside of this alliance.

Reps for Q-Prime declined to comment, while Guerinot was on vacation and could not be reached for comment.

The Rage-Cornell project has completed the recording of its first album, but no release date has yet been set by the band’s label, Epic.

The Rage-Cornell band, which came together after Rage vocalist Zach de la Rocha split from the group two years ago, was set to make its debut on this year’s Ozzfest. Shortly after announcing the tour, the group broke up, citing personal differences.

In May 2001, Rage and Cornell put to bed months of speculation and gossip by confirming that one of the most anticipated unions in contempo rock had been consummated (hitsdailydouble.com 5/21/2001).

Originally, many speculated that Cornell, guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk were just getting together as a possible side project. But Mensch insisted that the group was in it for more than a one-off, take-the-money-and-run opportunity. "Until the boat founders on the shoals, this is as permanent as anything," Mensch said at the time.