And now, for something completely different……Ex-Metallica bass player Jason Newsted really surprises with his “new” band: Echobrain. Back in 1995 he befriended a sixteen year old drummer, Brian Sagrafena, and his pal, guitarist/singer Dylan Donklin, with whom he jammed informally since then. These two guys, who were not really into Metallica, used the music of a band like Tower of Power as a basic idea for their jams. Though Jason, with his Metallica history, attracts most of the (media) attention, his influence in the band’s sound is not recognisable.

Admirable for someone with his status, to put himself at the service of the music of a couple of unknown young musicians. At first this album sounds like a high quality 90s-Beatles, maybe somewhere between Supergrass and Oasis. A very nice exception is the wave-like “Cryin’ Shame”, which holds a very catchy tension. It`s just a pity this band has risen (or was born) too late to call this album original.