During an interview with Metal Hammer, ex-Metallica bassist Jason Newsted brought up his initial reaction to the band’s album St. Anger and how he was baffled by what he heard.
Jason Newsted was part of the band from 1986 to 2001, and worked on the Metallica albums: …And Justice for All, Metallica (The Black Album), Load, and Reload.
In this interview that explores Newsted’s time in the band, at one point, he is asked the following question: “When was the last time you listened to a Metallica album that came out after you left the band?”
In response to this question, he brings up an instance where he heard some music off of the band’s album St. Anger – which would have been the first release the band put out after Newsted’s departure. In talking about the music of St. Anger, Newsted says, “What the fuck are they doing?”
Jason Newsted talks St. Anger
“Never. I heard the one where they made the video in prison [St. Anger]. I heard one song with my dad while we were riding in the car in Michigan, because the radio is still pretty wed to Metallica, and it went on for fucking ever. It was eight minutes on the radio, and I went, ‘What the fuck are they doing?’ No disrespect, but I didn’t get it.
“It was maybe harking back to the longer songs and the aggression and the tempo. And that stuff takes a lot of energy to play, and with James going up and down the fretboard like that, no one can touch it. I have a lot of respect for that thing, but I am quite a distance away from that type of music now.
“I still like my heavy songs, but I sing for real now. I play the bass right up high, sing those backing vocals way up high. I still love Sepultura and stuff… but it really isn’t the way that I used to. I’d be happy to join them to do that stuff if they wanted me to. I still talk to Lars a fair bit, and I send him my stuff and he’s always super-supportive. I really appreciate it, and I respect his opinion. If he called me and asked if I wanted to throw down, I’d say yes, but I’m not sure if I’d say yes to anyone else.”
What are your thoughts on the Metallica album St. Anger?
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