Jason Newsted, the former Metallica bassist who left the band in a shroud of
mystery has now returned to the scene with his new band EchoBrain.
BE WARNED: THIS IS NOTHING LIKE METALLICA, SO DON'T EXPECT TO HEAR ANYTHING
REMOTELY CLOSE TO IT!!!
EchoBrain is a mid tempo, mellow, almost cerebral Radioheadish type of album
with some lovely textures thrown in for feel and nuance. I was pleasently
surprised with this album, though I have to admit, I wish they would rock
out a bit more. But for
one of those mellow sort of rainy days, this CD is absolutely perfect. The
songwriting is pretty standard in composition, but the delivery is where
this band shines. A cross between Jeff Buckley, and Chris Cornell,
vocalist/guitarist Dylan Donkin waxes poetically about the relationships of
life, love and the hereafter, all the while adding shimmering textures of
guitars and effects up the ying yang. The stand out tracks, 'Colder World',
'Spoonfed', 'Ghosts' and 'Suckerpunch' (which features Metallica guitarist
Kirk Hammett) show that EchoBrain has taken some time to perfect their sound
and focus on songs, not instrumentation. The one thing I also have to
comment on is the fact that this band is not a platform for the mighty Mr.
Newsted, who is one bad-ass bassist in his own right. This is a BAND. A unit
of three talented musicians making some very personal, interesting and lush
music for the listener. A quiet, but pleasent surprise all around I hope
this is not a one off affair for this band.
