After years of waiting for
the re-appearance of the "real" Jason Newsted, his revitalisation has finally
arrived in the form of his band's first full album, daringly titled Heavy Metal Music. I say daring, because it could have fallen
flat on its face if it couldn't live up to its name in the ears of the listening
public. Everyone's idea of heavy metal is probably different, but Newsted can
rest easy on this occasion.
What I get most from this album is that there is a great solid base in every song to launch into something even more powerful and memorable, but in some ways it never quite happens. I just felt that with most of the songs, they could have used a bit of thrash speed about them to get the most out of the riffs that were a part of the songs. For the most part this settles in a very moody metal kind of tempo, never really extending itself beyond the same time signature all the way through. In some ways I feel like the music has been written around the lyrics, and given that Jason knew he was going to be playing as well as singing, he didn't want to move too far away from the mold he had set so that he didn't have to complicate things. Perhaps that's unfair, and also wrong, but that is what it feels like to me when listening to some of these songs.
I like the opener "Heroic Dose", it starts the album off on a great note. It has a good riff, nice solo, and Jason's moody vocals over the top. This is followed by "Soldierhead" from the Metal EP, which is excellent, utilising a bit more speed than is prevalent through most of the album. This was Jason's first released taster from his "return to heavy metal" which was well received at the time. "As the Crow Flies" is another great tune, again set up by a solid riff underlying the whole song and accentuated by the vocals. Terrific stuff.
"Ampossible" has a very Hendrix guitar riff to begin with, before settling back into a similar rhythm as is the mindset of the album. Jason bravely puts his vocal range out there on this, stretching it to its limits. I admire his courage because that's not an easy thing to do when it isn't the best string to your bow. This song rocks even moreso because of it. "Long Time Dead" is another rumbling creeper, building nicely in energy and aggression throughout the song with the drums and guitars and especially Newsted's vocals to a satisfying conclusion.
"Above All" sounds to me a lot like an Alice Cooper song on crack. The guitars sound like an Alice Cooper album from the late 1970's, and even Jason's vocals remind me a lot of Alice Cooper, especially when he is singing "you're freaking out, you're freaking out, you're freaking out!". This is a different style from earlier songs, but it works in well.
"King of the Underdogs" is the second song from this year's Metal EP, which initially helped the album because of its familiarity. "Nocturnus" is a slower, darker song, emoting memories of early Black Sabbath in tempo and composition. "Twisted Tail of the Comet" is another eclectic piece, again drawing from Sabbath's legacy when it comes to the guitaring late in the song. This is another song which builds through the song to end on a high. "Kindevillusion" and "Futureality" close the album out, and while they are both okay, I think they are both just a little overlong and repetitive.
Personally, I think it is great that Jason has gotten out there again and put himself forward. This album finally says "this is me, this is my music". It is something we have all been waiting for since he terminated his role in Metallica. I think we all expected something special from him - I mean, why else would you leave Metallica if you didn't have something brilliant to share with the world? Then we suffered through the agony and pain that was the cesspit called Echobrain, the reasonable efforts with Voivod, and the calamitous rabble of Rock Star: Supernova. After all of that, one had to wonder if anything good would ever come from the past decade of turbulence.
And so we have Heavy Metal Music. It isn't Album of the Year material, it isn't even Debut of the Year stuff. It is a very solid metal sounding album, with some good riffs, some good lyrics and some good intentions. I admit that I expected something a bit more punk oriented and with a bit more speed than the majority of this album contains, but all that aside, there is some excellent stuff here. And let's face it, this is just the beginning for this band. As a starting point, it is well worth getting on board.
What I get most from this album is that there is a great solid base in every song to launch into something even more powerful and memorable, but in some ways it never quite happens. I just felt that with most of the songs, they could have used a bit of thrash speed about them to get the most out of the riffs that were a part of the songs. For the most part this settles in a very moody metal kind of tempo, never really extending itself beyond the same time signature all the way through. In some ways I feel like the music has been written around the lyrics, and given that Jason knew he was going to be playing as well as singing, he didn't want to move too far away from the mold he had set so that he didn't have to complicate things. Perhaps that's unfair, and also wrong, but that is what it feels like to me when listening to some of these songs.
I like the opener "Heroic Dose", it starts the album off on a great note. It has a good riff, nice solo, and Jason's moody vocals over the top. This is followed by "Soldierhead" from the Metal EP, which is excellent, utilising a bit more speed than is prevalent through most of the album. This was Jason's first released taster from his "return to heavy metal" which was well received at the time. "As the Crow Flies" is another great tune, again set up by a solid riff underlying the whole song and accentuated by the vocals. Terrific stuff.
"Ampossible" has a very Hendrix guitar riff to begin with, before settling back into a similar rhythm as is the mindset of the album. Jason bravely puts his vocal range out there on this, stretching it to its limits. I admire his courage because that's not an easy thing to do when it isn't the best string to your bow. This song rocks even moreso because of it. "Long Time Dead" is another rumbling creeper, building nicely in energy and aggression throughout the song with the drums and guitars and especially Newsted's vocals to a satisfying conclusion.
"Above All" sounds to me a lot like an Alice Cooper song on crack. The guitars sound like an Alice Cooper album from the late 1970's, and even Jason's vocals remind me a lot of Alice Cooper, especially when he is singing "you're freaking out, you're freaking out, you're freaking out!". This is a different style from earlier songs, but it works in well.
"King of the Underdogs" is the second song from this year's Metal EP, which initially helped the album because of its familiarity. "Nocturnus" is a slower, darker song, emoting memories of early Black Sabbath in tempo and composition. "Twisted Tail of the Comet" is another eclectic piece, again drawing from Sabbath's legacy when it comes to the guitaring late in the song. This is another song which builds through the song to end on a high. "Kindevillusion" and "Futureality" close the album out, and while they are both okay, I think they are both just a little overlong and repetitive.
Personally, I think it is great that Jason has gotten out there again and put himself forward. This album finally says "this is me, this is my music". It is something we have all been waiting for since he terminated his role in Metallica. I think we all expected something special from him - I mean, why else would you leave Metallica if you didn't have something brilliant to share with the world? Then we suffered through the agony and pain that was the cesspit called Echobrain, the reasonable efforts with Voivod, and the calamitous rabble of Rock Star: Supernova. After all of that, one had to wonder if anything good would ever come from the past decade of turbulence.
And so we have Heavy Metal Music. It isn't Album of the Year material, it isn't even Debut of the Year stuff. It is a very solid metal sounding album, with some good riffs, some good lyrics and some good intentions. I admit that I expected something a bit more punk oriented and with a bit more speed than the majority of this album contains, but all that aside, there is some excellent stuff here. And let's face it, this is just the beginning for this band. As a starting point, it is well worth getting on board.
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