By Andrew Bansal
To metalheads, Jason Newsted needs no introduction. After departing from Metallica in 2001, he has worked in several bands and projects like Voivod, Papa Wheelie, Echobrain, Gov’t Mule and WhoCares, but I always felt that his true return to metal was still impending. That day has finally arrived, and his power trio Newsted has been introduced to us in the form of a 4-track EP, simply titled ‘Metal’. He dons the bass and lead vocals in this band, along with Jessie Farnsworth on guitar and Jesus Mendez Jr on drums. The trio have jammed together in Jason’s own Chophouse Studio in California, working on their chemistry and musical bonding, and the result of all that hard work is in front of us with this EP, accompanied by the promise of a full-length album this spring. As expected, the EP has generated quite the hype, and has been gleefully grabbed onto by the metal world. I must admit, I’m a bit late in catching hold of this and giving it a proper listen, but better late than never, right?
‘Soldierhead’ gives the 22-minute EP a crushing beginning, with a distinctly strong Motörhead vibe oozing out of it with every single note. Jason has always been a much-loved member of the Metallica family not only for his incredible, and often underutilized talent on bass, but for his monstrous backing vocals as well. These backing vocals of his have now taken shape into lead vocals in his own band, and the result satisfies the listener, for the most part. He does justice to the vocals on all four tunes in ‘Metal’, and lends the voice exactly as warranted by the music.
‘Godsnake’ is of contrasting tempo as compared to its blisteringly fast predecessor, but is enjoyable for different reasons. The gruffness in Jason’s voice is more evident on here, as he carries this slow tune and locks in well with the music. From the out-and-out old-school thrash onslaught of the opening tune, this one takes the EP into stoner/sludge metal territory for the rest of its duration.
‘King Of The Underdogs’ picks up the pace slightly, and after its melodic intro it settles into a mid-tempo tune with some heavy, solid riffs and a cleaner variety of Jason’s vocals for the verse parts. This tune could have had a stronger impact on the listener if was a little shorter than 6 minutes, and if the more-than-decent guitar solo came into the song a little earlier than the 4:26 mark. Good music nonetheless, with a catchy chorus.
‘Skyscraper’ brings the EP to an end on a much livelier note. This one has your quintessential heavy metal hooks and gallops that would make you head-bang inadvertently. It would certainly be a fun song for the band to play live, and of course, for the fans to experience. I can only imagine crowds going bonkers every time Jason yells out the words, ‘Come On!’ to begin the song. But once again, the song lingers on for too long and perhaps loses its grip to an extent.
With that being said, I’m beyond pleased to see the return of Jason Newsted in this new form doing what he does best, and this band has given us a fairly good indication of what to expect from them. Their music on this EP can be developed much further into a fiercer animal. It has plenty of different facets, and from here they can take it to any direction they desire to. I would prefer to continue hearing a similar mix of thrash and sludge, with a greater proportion of the Motörhead-esque thrash as in ‘Soliderhead’, because that’s one style of music I’ll never, ever get tired of.
Because of the Metallica connection, it’s literally impossible to view this release with complete objectivity, and I have to admit, I’m not sure how much attention I or anyone else would have given to this release had it not featured the former Metallica bassist. But despite the fact that nearly all of the Metallica fans and collectors must have already purchased this EP, music-wise this band is a completely different entity and doesn’t attempt to carry on with the Metallica vibe. This is purely and simply Jason Newsted’s interpretation of the term ‘Metal’, for which he has to be commended.
Besides, you can’t blame the Metallica fan in me for giving a keen ear to this EP, because of the manner in which the musicians in that band have become mere caricatures of themselves. They have let me down with their sub-standard studio recordings and erratic live performances in recent times. I do not expect anything worthwhile coming from them in this lifetime, so it’s a breath of fresh air to see a rejuvenated, roaring Newsted in this form.
Aside from the lengths of tracks #2 and #3, my only issue here is with the vocals. That’s not to do with Jason’s performance, but in the way it’s been produced and mixed for the final product. The voice sounds way too compressed and watered down, and I somehow feel it could come through a lot more powerfully than it ends up doing. Other than that, the production sheds fair limelight on the music and the chemistry between the three musicians is there for everyone to be heard.
All in all, Newsted’s self-titled EP is an intriguing set of tunes that delves into what’s to come from the trio in the near future. A worthwhile offering for all metalheads.
Rating: 8/10
Record Label: Chophouse
Release Date: January 8th 2013
Track Listing:
1. Soldierhead
2. Godsnake
3. King Of The Underdogs
4. Skyscraper
Links:
newstedheavymetal.com
facebook.com/jasonnewstedofficial
twitter.com/jasoncnewsted
Newsted YouTube channel