I found myself in a large chain music store, because they need my business too, and I ran across an album being promoted in the Heavy Metal section that caught my eye. Jason Newsted's first solo album. I couldn't help myself, and I had to pick it up. It's about time he released an album. This is something I've been looking for for years. Well, I haven't literally been looking for it, but it's something that should have been done.
I want to start by saying that there is only one draw back to this album for most people that would make up the basic audience. Jason's vocals are not for everyone. I think he is a great back-up vocalist, and when he and James Hetfield would trade off during Whiplash live, it was great, but a whole album is too much. There are tracks when it works perfectly, but on the other tracks I think another vocalist might have been better.
As for the music on this album it's all really Heavy Metal music in the sense that you can hear Motorhead, Metallica, Black Sabbath Deep Purple and so many other great Heavy band's influence all over this album. The album's title is just a true indictment of what you find on this album.
Heroic Dose kicks the album off, and sets the feel up all wrong. This song is pretty basic and has no real substance. It's very basic and doesn't offer much to make you look forward to anything.
Soldierhead isn't helping things for me, and if I was the one putting the album together these first two tracks would be buried in the mix or left out. They aren't bad, but they could be better.
...As The Crow Flies is the first song on the album that really grabs me, and with good reason. This song has a heavy bass groove, some killer hooks, and the lead guitar adds dynamics that give the song some real vibe. Oh, and on this song Newsted's vocals are bitchin'. I mean he really gives it the perfect performance and it's one of those songs where the style works perfect. I'm a fan of the lyrics as well. "I spin around the sun I thank you may I have another / I am an army of one honour and respect my brother / The night is young crowded hearts are nine to four / If ever daylight comes save yourself and save your soul / As the crow flies I will make my way / As the day dies I look back and say / I look back and say well spent time today / I make my own way and I am not afraid / In from the word go bang those troubled thoughts out of your head / What you live is what you know any day alive is better than dead / Lets stay out all night and watch the shadows play in the light / And just look at us now I'm not afraid of failing I'm not afraid of flight / Beautiful in life unforgettable in death / Don't stop dreaming until the last breath / Until the last breath the hunger to be / To think and feel don't stop dreaming until it becomes real". This is the song that should have started off the album.
When it comes to Ampossible all I can think is Jason really knows how to right a rich and full song. I'm not sure who get's the credits for what on any song, because it just isn't listed, so I'm going to say that Jesus Mendez jr. (drums and percussion), Jason Newsted (bass and vocals) Mike Mushok (guitars) and Jessie Farnsworth (guitars and backing vocals) come together in a great way and work this song in ways that Metal should be worked.
I dig Long Time Dead, this is really just a fun song. It's one of those tracks you want to use to help fill out the album. It has a great Punk like vibe to it, that gives it a great bouncy feel until the breakdown where it gets a great Funk like feel, until it spins back into some high speed adrenaline. It's like Motorhead meets Alice Cooper in the late eighties.
At this point I'm still totally digging the album, and when Above All get's into gear it really just keeps me going. This is how a really solid album should sound. I also really dig the sound of the lead on this album. It adds sound and vibe, and not just simply notes.
King Of The Underdogs sounds like a Gene Simmons Kiss song if God Of Thunder had been one of their lighter songs. This is a filler song for this album. It's like the first couple tracks on the album. It's not bad, but it's pretty basic and stock. It's chugging for the sake of chugging.
The first time that Andria says anything about the album is on Nocturnus. "This is very Alice sounding." She's right. This could have easily been on Dragontown. This is a very solid song and I think I will look forward to hearing it in the mix over time. This song is just really nice and heavy.
Twisted Tail Of The Comet is a pretty bitching song. This song is bouncy, full of energy and totally fun to listen to. Based on my limited knowledge of Voivod, I would say that this one came from Newsted's time as their bassist.
Kindevillusion, let me start by saying, what's with the odd titles Jason? Part of me really likes the titling, and part of me thinks it may be too much for some people, those accidently making the song less appealing to the memory. Moving on from that, and onto the music. It's good solid album filler.
Futureality finishes off the album. It's a good way to close it down. It's good, and solid and heavy and has an epicness to it that reminds me of a track from Judas Priest's Angel Of Retribution.
I'm not sure if this is an album that I'll play over and over through the years, but it's an album that will spend time in the mix for sure. It's a really good disc, with some very solid tracks, and as a first solo record it's a place to start and a really good one at that. I hope it doesn't take long before another comes along. With any luck there will be even more Metal experimentation than is found on this album. I'd like to see Jason open metal right up. Were it not for the prodution on the vocals, I think that I would have rated the album a little higher. I was torn on the rating for the production, part of me wanted to give it a six, another part of me wanted to give it a seven, and if I were basing it on just the vocals it would have possibly ended up a four.
7/10 - content
7/10 - production
7/10 - personal bias
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