Jason Newsted wishes Metallica nothing but the best in the future...

NEW YORK (Metallica Fans Website) - It's been a bit more than two years now since bassist Jason Newsted announced he was leaving Metallica. However, Newsted says that leaving and actually having left are two different things, and that the legal aspects of the separation have just now been fully resolved.

Nevertheless, Newsted adds that he wishes Metallica nothing but the best in the future. "We're just now actually coming to a resolution on all of our agreements for our business things and stuff," Newsted said according to Metallica Fans website. "It took awhile to pull all that together. Man, they sound strong, and I've heard, you know, reports from my little spies and stuff that everybody's kicking ass and they're doing some hours in the studio, so I hope that they can do it. I hope they can do what they say they can do, man. If [James] Hetfield's determined, it will happen."

Metallica is planning to release an album in the spring or summer--its first since Newsted's departure and Hetfield's stay in rehab. Newsted, meanwhile, has joined the Canadian heavy metal band Voivod, which will release a self-titled album in March.