Jason Newsted Reveals the Real Reason He Left Metallica - and No, It Wasn't Echobrain

Former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted revealed the real reason he left the band in 2001 — and it wasn't a conflict of interest with his other band at the time, Echobrain.

“Sometimes you have to make harsh ass decisions that no f---er understands," Newsted said on a new episode of Dean Delray's Let There Be Talk podcast. "They’re not in my shoes, man. What the f--k? I’m not in yours. You’re not in mine. There’s no way you can know."

Newsted previously claimed that his departure from Metallica was hastened by his work with the alt-metal band Echobrain. Metallica members were discouraged from pursuing side projects, and frontman James Hetfield allegedly became defensive and territorial when Metallica's management expressed an interest in Echobrain. But that's not the full story.

READ MORE: Metallica Albums Ranked Worst to Best

"One thing I want to straighten out, or just comment on, is the Echobrain thing," Newsted said. "That was another project that I took to a certain level. I had 40 projects in the Chophouse to a level of recording, composition, rehearsal, that kind of thing. This one was just more promising, and I took it to a different place. But it’s not the reason I left Metallica.”

So, Why Did Jason Newsted Leave Metallica?

“The reason I left Metallica is because I was a horrible addict," Newsted confessed. "I was way up against myself and if I didn’t get some kind of help, I was gonna die. And so I just said, ‘You guys, can I have a minute? Please give me a minute.’ And they said, ‘No.’”

Newsted's exit certainly wasn't for a lack of love. “I said, ‘I would rather live than be in your band. I love being in your band. I think it’s kind of obvious. I wear your shirt every f---ing night,'" he said. "'I wear our shirt every night. I fly my colors every night. I meet every f---ing person that wants to meet and represent us for all the fans every f---ing night. Don’t tell me I’m not committed. Don’t tell me I’m not loyal. Don’t tell me. I’m always the first one in and last one out. I’m not saying the words. It’s f---ing history. It's real.’ You can’t give me that minute to get my head straight again? Then I have to go. Not that I don’t love you, and certainly not that I’m not committed to this band. But it wasn’t because of Echobrain.”

Jason Newsted's Summer Tour Plans and 'Free and Clear' Health Diagnosis

Newsted is currently gearing up for his first-ever U.S. headlining tour with the Chophouse Band, which will take place in July and include several dates opening for Blackberry Smoke. He also told Let There Be Talk that he recently received a "free and clear" health update after undergoing treatment for throat cancer last year.

See Jason Newsted on our list of the 66 best rock and metal bassists: