REMAINING Rage Against the Machine members create new group

<br>NEW YORK (AP) _ Maybe they should call themselves Rage Against the Soundgarden. <br><br>The three remaining members of Rage Against the Machine have created a new band with former Soundgarden lead

Tuesday, May 22nd 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

NEW YORK (AP) _ Maybe they should call themselves Rage Against the Soundgarden.

The three remaining members of Rage Against the Machine have created a new band with former Soundgarden lead singer Chris Cornell, the group's publicist confirmed on Tuesday.

Cornell will join guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk, formerly of the rock-rap fusion band.

``They've written 20 songs together, the four of them, and Rick Rubin will be producing the recording,'' said Lisa Markowitz of Epic Records.

The band does not have a name yet, but it will not be called Rage Against the Machine.

``Rage Against the Machine doesn't exist anymore,'' she told The Associated Press.

The multiplatinum group, which won a Grammy for the song ``Guerrilla Radio,'' disintegrated last year when fiery lead vocalist Zack de la Rocha left after years of turmoil.

Cornell's Soundgarden, which was part of the Seattle grunge surge of the early '90s and won a Grammy for the hit ``Black Hole Sun,'' broke up in 1997. In the years since, Cornell has released two solo albums and recorded with Temple of the Dog.

Markowitz said it was unclear when the new band will release an album, or which record label it will be on _ Cornell is signed to Interscope, while Rage was on Epic.

De la Rocha also is working on an album, to be released this year.