Special Ops

Through the Heart of the Infidel
by Scott Hefflon

I thought I reviewed these guys a couple years back, cuz finding diamonds in the rough is one of the real treats of this racket, but I think I never got to it, and that’s a shame. Special Ops straddle the metal/hard rock line with the best of ’em, and while not every song is the anthem to your tragic life, Disturbed and Nickleback have written their share of clunkers, so there you have it. There’s Rob Zombie’s stomp and Manson’s tortured groan and System of a Down’s Middle Eastern-tinged yowl, and more comparisons than I can rattle off. While this surely makes the band sound derivative (and all over the map), this is a young band, from Canada, dipping their metal rod in a variety of inspirations, ya know? There are solid riffs here, solos aplenty, and enough roars and rasps and howls to fill a footlocker. Great production, catchy graphics, moody photos of smoldering-eyed guys in black leather, and the style and skill to go the distance. Get these guys on one of the many metal festivals and they’ll tear the place up.
(www.opsmission.com)