Newsted - Metal

Published January 18 2013

*=Staff's pick	Soldierhead* Godsnake* King Of The Underdogs Skyscraper

Genre	Heavy/Thrash Metal	Jason Newsted	Vocals
Tracks	4	Jessie Farnsworth	Guitar
Running time	22 Min.	-	Guitar
Label	Chophouse Records	Jason Newsted	Bass
Release	08 January 2013	Jesus Mendez Jr.	Drums
Country	USA	-	Keyboard
Producer	Jason Newsted
Similar artists	Annihilator, Testament

Playing bass with bands such as Metallica, Voivod and Flotsam And Jetsam, Jason Newsted has in a way always been in the background. With his new solo project, fittingly named Newsted, he has taken the step out of the shadows and into the role as frontman and singer as well as bass player.

Metal is exactly what the title suggests and reminds me partly of Motörhead and partly of modern thrash metal bands such as Annihilator and Testament. Soldierhead is a hard-hitting song that will get you on your feet while Godsnake and King Of The Underdogs are slower, with a heavy groove.

The songs are old-school, diverse and all have their strengths but Skyscraper is maybe the weakest of the bunch. Compared with the other songs it feels a little generic and predictable, like something we've heard from other bands before, but overall Metal is a fantastic debut EP which shows a lot of promise. On another note, I have to mention the fantastic coincidence that Jason's band members are named Jessie and Jesus - brilliant.

Comparisons with Metallica are of course unnecessary but in a way unavoidable - and I daresay that Metal is a lot more interesting than anything Metallica has released since Jason's departure. I can't wait to hear more of this and with talks of a European tour this summer, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a visit in Gothenburg or at least somewhere in Sweden. Jason is back.

Performance	Originality	Production	Vocals	Songwriting
7,5	7	8	7	8

Summary
8 chalices of 10 - Bjorn