The eponymous debut album from EchoBrain, the trio formed by former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted, will see a U.S. release on March 5 through Chophouse/Surfdog Records. Produced, recorded, and mixed at the Site in Northern California by Brian Joseph Dobbs, the 10-song set counts Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett and former Faith No More axe grinder Jim Martin among its guests.

EchoBrain -- rounded out by drummer Brian Sagrafena and vocalist/guitarist Dylan Donkin -- first gelled in 1995, as an informal jam band that didn't get serious about music until Newsted exited Metallica last year for health reasons. "It's very easy to be excited about playing music with these guys," Newsted said in a statement. "They're very hungry but they're also very true and honest."

"The challenge for me was the musicality," he added. "In Metallica, there are only so many keys -- it was a proven formula and you don't mess with it. When Dylan and Brian came around, I had to start learning different modes and keys -- it's a challenge for my fingers and my brain."

Leading off with "Colder World," EchoBrain takes a stab at rock star egos, before confronting televangelists on "Spoonfed," and later paying homage to a truck-driving Elvis impersonator on a methamphetamine binge on "Hwy 44." Described as "a loose, pop-tinged record," the set puts Donkin's voice -- which has drawn comparisons to Jeff Buckley, Chris Cornell, and Radiohead's Thom Yorke -- out in front.

"He just has this music flowing from him," Newsted said of his new frontman. "There are people who you come across in life that are truly blessed. They have such a gift that it seems like they're actually channeling it from somewhere else. That's Dylan."