Since bassist Jason Newsted left METALLICA in 2001 to form the short-lived ECHOBRAIN, METALLICA fans have wondered whether Newsted has ever regretted exiting the band. "I tell you very honestly, 1 billion percent, I have never regretted leaving METALLICA," Newsted tells RollingStone.com. "It was the right thing for everyone. It was the right thing to do for the camp, that's it. I've never told anyone that I wanted to go back or anything like that, not once. I made up my mind. It was not an easy thing to do, but it was something I had to do. I thought about it very much before I pulled the trigger, and because of that, I have never looked back. The past is where its supposed to be."

He adds, "I was one of the biggest fan of the band before I went in, and I'm a METALLICA fan still. I was always the one person in the world who had an inside look and an outside look at the band, at the same time, and now, I've been out for a while, and I'm able to be a fan again."

Does that mean Newsted likes "Death Magnetic"? “It was better than 'St. Anger'," he says.

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