Newsted – Heavy Metal Music

Chophouse Records/Universal
Released August 6, 2013
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
8.5/10

Jason Newsted is back folks, doing what he does best 12 years after walking out on Metallica and embarking on a series of experimental, progressive or sideman projects.

Heavy Metal Music is full of exactly what it says on the tin – an enormous sounding modern take on NWOBHM and Eurometal that sounds much like what Dave Grohl’s Probot might have with only Newsted singing.

Be warned that there’s not an ounce of bullshit or pretence here – the notoriously serious Newsted growls and snarls through 11 tracks that are uncompromising and screaming out to be played live – which Australia will get to experience in early 2014 on the national Soundwave Festival tour.

Having recruited Stain’d guitarist Mike Mushok, drummer Jesus Mendez Jr. and guitarist Jessie Farnsworth, the band have crafted some absolute killer tracks, opener Heroic Dose, As The Crow Flies and King of The Underdogs amongst the best.

No doubt everyone and their dog will be looking hard for references to his former band but it seems any sonic similarity is more due to shared influences than anything else. There’s a cheeky Hetfieldesque ‘all right now – I said all right now’ in Ampology, but maybe we’re all just looking too closely for something that’s not there?

One thing is for certain, if Metallica stopped trying too hard and just made an album this real, and this good, they’d almost redeem themselves for St Anger and Lulu… I said almost.

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http://newstedheavymetal.com/

Category: CD Reviews