What were Jason Newsted’s reasons for leaving Metallica?

Following the untimely loss of bassist Cliff Burton the previous year, Jason Newsted departed the speed metal band Flotsam and Jetsam to join Metallica in the autumn of 1986.

He appeared on four studio albums until leaving in 2001: And Justice For All (1988), Metallica (also known as “The Black Album”) (1991), Load (1996), and Reload (1997).

 What Caused Jason Newsted to Resign from Metallica?

In the documentary Some Kind of Monster, which opensly documents Metallica’s crisis as they record what became St. Anger, Newsted credits the hiring of interventionist therapist Phil Towle—who was brought in to mediate tense relationships within the band—for his decision to leave the band.

Towle plays a significant role in the documentary, offering the participants emotional support and outlining more than ten years of conflict in an effort to create a mutually respectful and understanding agreement that would improve both business and creative flow.

Furthermore, Newsted’s pursuit of his side project, Echobrain, which was also supported by Metallica’s own management, QPrime, did not sit well with James Hetfield in particular. Hetfield essentially forced management to back down, which increased friction.

“Management wanted me to work with Metallica on Echobrain as well. They believed Echobrain to be quite excellent. Since I was a member of Metallica and the vocalist was so excellent, it didn’t effect the band since it was a whole different type of thing, so it would have already given it its pedigree, Newsted said to Scuzz TV in 2013.