NEWSTED - Metal

I’m certain that opinions are going to be as divided as possible on this record. Jason Newsted is a name of the metal scene that usually commands respect from fans of the genre. You must have heard at least one record with Jason on the bass, be it Flotsam & Jetsam, Metallica or Voivod, to name but the most important bands Jasonic has been a member of.

Early in 2013, on the 8th of January to be precise, Jason Newsted released his first solo album. An EP titled simply Metal. Well, what we hear on this record isn’t entirely metal. How come? Seriously, it’s not metal - metal. Ok, there are plenty of parts that will remind you of Motorhead, but there are times that bring to mind Alice in Chains grunge. The record is diverse and rather different from anything Jason Newsted has done so far. It is a mixture of hard rock, grunge, some stoner and metal. It is diverse, it sounds pretty good, but nothing unheard of. I don’t think Jason intended to reinvent the wheel, just to provide a healthy dose of rock.

Guitarist Jessie Farnsworth and drummer Jesus Mendez Jr. handle themselves well in execution, and together with Jason they make of this project a name that could lay a serious claim in the not so far future. It is some sort of more modern Motorhead with Jason as the great godfather. And since we keep mentioning Motorhead, the first track of the record, Soldierhead has something of Ace of Spades and something of Megadeth’s Peace Sells. It is the most direct song of the album, it has the balance and a pretty good solo toward the end, the perfect opening song.

The second track of the album is Godsnake. Well, again Motorhead, and also some Alice in Chains. How come? You must know the beginning of The Game (Motorhead), right? It has something of it, but it would have fitted better on Load (1996) or ReLoad(1997) than in Motorhead’s catalogue. Anyway, a decent song for fans of the Metallica records of the 90s, but also for aficionados of metallic-tasting grunge. King of the Underdogs, the third song on this record moves towards a pretty coherent hard rock/grunge. Still, it seems to me that it is a bit too long for what it offers. A shorter song, faster in places, would have been more inspired. And here we are at the end. The last track of this record is Skyscraper. Here we have that stoner rock with really cool grunge pieces. A fitting end for all this.

For a first effort, this is ok, but in the future I hope things will evolve. Not in musical direction, but in song writing. More dynamics to compensate the groovy songs wouldn’t hurt. Some more Motorhead, some more dirty rock'n'roll would do good for the future songs signed Jason Newsted.

H. Nota: 8