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O.S.I.: Free

Release

Style

O.S.I. (Office of Strategic Influence, named after 9/11) may be considered as a supergroup, Jim Matheos (Fates Warning), Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater) and Kevin Moore (Chroma Key, ex Dream Theater) are leading figures in the world of progressive rock/metal. And yet their debut album of 2003 has not received the recognition, they undoubtedly would have deserved. Maybe this was due to the fact that the music was situated somewhere between progressive rock, progressive metal and alternative rock, die hard fans were perhaps not really convinced. In the meantime, a lot of bands are producing music coming from different musical styles, Riverside and Porcupine Tree are perhaps the most known protagonists. And it is not a coincidence that exactly those two bands can be compared with ‘Free’, despite the fact that Steve Wilson this time has not cooperated. Sean Malone has been replaced by Joey Vera (a.o. Armored Saint).

Although there are some minor changes compared with their debut album, the characteristics of O.S.I. are still very present: heavy guitar riffs, soundscapes, samples, the dark and melancholic voice of Moore, the heavy but very creative beats of Portnoy. The metal background of Joey Vera makes him play a bit tighter on bass than his predecessor. The tracks are all relatively short, the longest track being just over 6 minutes. As a result, you get 11 strong and well composed songs, sometimes based on guitar riffs, supported by ambient synthesizer samples and a combination of heavy acoustic drums and drum computer. The vocals are excellent, although you may miss a bit of variation and voice colours, perhaps they could ask again Steve Wilson to participate on the next album.

The beginning of the album sounds heavy, but ‘Free’ appears to be a lot quieter than the first album, fans of Dream Theater and Liquid Tension Experiment could be disappointed. A song like ‘Our Town’ at the end can be compared with the quiet ballads of Pink Floyd or even singer-songwriter albums. The spirit of Porcupine Tree is still twirling around, the title track ‘Free’ and ‘Gone now’ are obvious examples, in the latter case I even hear some bits of Paatos, but in a heavy version. Don’t expect long soloing on guitar or keyboards neither, it’s all about ‘the song’ and especially heavy riffs and soundscapes play an important role in the overall picture. Even Portnoy seems to stay very modest in his drum patterns (according to his standards), the interaction with the drum computer gives an extra dimension to the sound of O.S.I.

‘Go’ is full of samples and showcases a melancholic Kevin Moore, a simple synthesizer sample (sometimes in the vein of ELP) creates the right atmosphere, a very intense song. ‘Ambient’ all the way on this album, listen for example very careful to 'Home was Good', it would fit on any chill album. This is clearly a big difference with the past, such tracks were less present on the debut album, ‘Free’ has more references to ‘Chroma Key’ than for instance Dream Theater or Fates Warning. As said, this is a very dark and melancholic album, ‘Kicking’ is such an inspiring track, it refers vocally as well as instrumentally to Peter Gabriel. And all those influences are repeated in Once, one of the best songs of the album with again that Gabriel touch.

When you are listening to this album with certain expectations, you could be disappointed. But if you try to let you overwhelm by this kind of music, you could be surprised. O.S.I. has his place on top of progressive rock. And usual with releases of Inside Out, ‘Free’ has also a Limited Edition with Bonus Cd (unfortunately not present with the promo cd).
 

Musicians

Bonus Cd

01. OSIdea 9 03:33
02. Set It On Fire 03:42
03. Communicant 03:47
04. When You're Ready (demo) 03:09
05. Remain Calm 04:08
06. Old War 01:06
 

O.S.I. (2003)

Free (2006)

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Last updated: 27 april 2006 .
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