With guitars being back in fashion, and the emphasis purely focused on songwriting, it's to be expected that 9/10 new demos arriving through the post will be made by a bunch of young upstarts proclaiming themselves to be undiscovered rock gods in waiting.

With that in mind, I undid the packaging to this CD with some trepedidation, as I wasn't expecting anything more than
a) a.n.other nu-metal rip off; or
b) a bunch of spandex wearing hod carriers recycling Iron Maiden riffs for the 2048th time.

Good job I was wrong on both counts then, as The Operation simply make rock and roll that reeks of a youthful exhuberance that heads straight for the front of the queue on debauchery boulevard, an adolescent Wildhearts without the baggage.

'Walkin' Around' does anything but that, instead offering an adrenalin fuelled stomper that is equal parts Senseless Things and Alkaline Trio (i.e. power packed riffs, unforgettable chorus) while 'The Moment' should be on every 3 Colours Red fan's wishlist - tense, nerve jangling, simplistic, pulsating.

The final track 'Don't Let Me Down' stomps along in the same way Jimmy Eat World would if only they'd leave their "we're serious us" heads at home every once in a while.

All in all then, the boys done good,and the only criticism really (albeit a minor one) is that all three songs do sound pretty same-y in places, and when you think there's gonna be another million and one bands out there doing a similar thing, it may be the one thing that prevents them standing out from the crowd.