SPECIAL OPS
Phase 2: Amidst the Madness
Self-Released 2007
www.opsmission.com

Genre
Hard rock / metal / alternative

The Good
"Anger is Creeping" is infectious from the very beginning. If the meaty riff doesn't grab you, the repetitive chorus will. Cosmic guitar tones and faded vocals lead the charge on "Damn Yourself." Driving guitars and tortured lyrics take you on the rest of the journey. "Felony" flirts with a hardcore meets rap-rock style, but never loses the albums hard rock momentum. "George" switches from clean tones to all out distortion as it tells the tale of a troubled soul. "IRI Five" is a metal guitar fan's wet dream. Lots of energy and fiery licks.

The Bad
If the vocalist can steer away from the rap-style vocals in favor of more melody, you'd have a hard rock classic.

The Verdict
So this is what Canadian metal sounds like? Special Ops have the energy and power to hold their own with any of their American metal contemporaries. Although they walk a fine line between metal and nu-metal, Special Ops knows how to bring the fury on their latest album.

Rating: out of 5

--George Dionne