Newsted – Heavy Metal Music

5th August 2013 0 By Suzie Rottencrotch

I was a big fan of the Metal EP that Newsted released earlier this year – the back-to-basics sounding, hard hitting 4 song collection was on repeat play on my stereo for a long time, and I’ve been looking forward to the full length album for months.

However, there were some doubters who saw the release of an EP as a sign that Jason Newsted and co. didn’t have it in them to put together enough quality material for a full album, so the question is… is Heavy Metal Music any good ?

Well, right from the outset and the opening riffs of ‘Heroic Dose’ I knew I wasn’t going to be disappointed ! The guitars are heavy, the riffs are catchy as hell, and the vocals are raw and edgy. The overall feeling after listening to this is one of being uplifted… in an attitude ridden “Fuck You!” kind of way.

The second track is one of the two tracks from the Metal EP, ‘Soldierhead’ and it sounds as great now as it does when I first heard it back in January. It’s heavy and fast as fuck.

Third track ‘…As the Crow Flies’ is the nearest thing to a Metallica track on the album… but thankfully sounds like one of the heavier tracks from Load – rather than anything from St Anger or, god forbid, Lulu.

‘Ampossible’ and ‘Above All’ are more rock n’ roll, than thrash metal, but they fit in with the rest of the album seamlessly, and show that Newsted is not a one trick pony. ‘Twisted Tail of the Comet’ wouldn’t sound out of place on a Voivod album, and ‘Kindevillusion’ is groovy and has some killer riffs.

Jason Newsted has built a band of talented musicians – Jesus Mendez Jr‘s drums are hard and heavy, Jessie Farnsworth and Mike Mushok play the guitars with real skill and conviction, and Jason Newsted plays his bass with all the passion and energy we’ve come to expect. Newsted‘s vocals are raw and primitive in places, but they complement the music perfectly and anything more polished would jar horribly.

This is an album that I found got better with each and every play – there is a cohesive sound and feel to it, but no two tracks sound the same and my favourites change from listen to listen.

It’s not ground breaking by any means, but it does exactly what it says on the tin – this is heavy metal music and on the basis of these 11 blistering tracks of headbanging awesomeness I will definitely be buying anything else that Newsted release.

If you are fan of heavy metal, Heavy Metal Music is a must buy. Outstanding !!

Score: 9.5 out 10

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ALBUM INFO

Band: Newsted
Album: Heavy Metal Music
Record Label: Spinefarm Records
Release Date: August 5th 2013
Band Website: www.newstedheavymetal.com

Track Listing:
1. Heroic Dose
2. Soldierhead
3. …As the Crow Flies
4. Ampossible
5. Long Time Dead
6. Above All
7. King of the Underdogs
8. Nocturnus
9. Twisted Tail of the Comet
10. Kindevillusion
11. Futureality