Gary Cherone's Tribe of Judah begins the sonic assault of their debut disc, Exit Elvis, with Left for Dead, a techno-rock splash of elaborate guitar, keys, and melody. It sounds like a plea, the incessant "somebody" hook repeating over the churning music. This is powerful stuff, with Cherone taking control after his work as the third lead singer of Van Halen. Initially so perfectly constructed, Exit Elvis begs the question: What if Eddie Van Halen allowed Cherone the creative freedom to come up with something like this on the platform provided by that veteran rock band? There's no doubt it would have launched quickly, enhancing that group's image and bringing them another -- much needed -- new dimension to the Van Halen sound. Alas, the clever nuances of No One are going to have to fend for themselves on the national stage. Tribe of Judah comes close to equalling the artistic triumph of Tracy Bonham's lost classic Down Here album, a disc so good it may discourage artists from creating new music because of its tragic fate. Lost in the shuffle of record label and radio politics, fans of Extreme can only hope Exit Elvis avoids a rock roll episode similar to what Bonham experienced with her masterpiece. East of Paradise has Cherone sounding a bit like his pals in Godsmack, though more subtle and intriguing. Rather than hit you over the head, the band slinks through a creepy mood piece that fits in perfectly with what they've put on the aluminum in between the sandwich of this plastic CD. Thanks for Nothing features some of the guitar slinging that Nuno Bettancourt assured would follow his friend Cherone around for the rest of his career. Indeed, having Bettancourt and Van Halen as the dudes supplying the guitar power only makes former In the Flesh guitarist Leo Mallace's job all the more daunting. Celibate could have used that folky element that Bonham brought to her song Second Wind on the aforementioned

1		Left For Dead
2		No One
3		East of Paradise
4		Thanks For Nothing
5		Celibate
6		Ambiguous Headdress
7		In My Dreams
8		2+2
9		Suspension of Disbelief
10		My Utopia (Anthropolemic)
11		Exit Elvis