| The
Review |
As a general rule, prog supergroups tend to never equal
more than the sum of their parts. Often, memebers are self-indulgent,
and strive to be the brightest beacon amongst the other members,
instead of contributing to the greater good of the band itself.
Fortunately, that is not the case with OSI.*****
Comprised of Kevin Moore (Chroma Key, ex-Dream Theater),
Jim Matheos (Fates Warning), and featuring stellar performances
by Mike Pornoy (Dream Theater, Transatlantic) and Joey Vera
(Fates Warning, Armored Saint), OSI strives to create a new
atmosphere, and a distinctive sound for themselves. The musicianship
is certainly top notch, but these songs are not about the
fastest solo, or the oddest time signature. They are about
the amazing production, tight sound, thoughtful lyrics, and
endless textures.*****
From the beginning, it's clear that this disc is different
than their excellent previous last effort. There is more focus
on samples. This perhaps comes from Mike Portnoy sticking
to specifically acoustic drums, instead of allowing his drums
to be sampled. Portnoy tends to stick to simple, driving beats
for the most part, kicking it up where appropriate, and allowing
Moore and Matheos to fill in the samples when needed. This
is fairly obvious in the opening track, "Sure You Will," as
well as the song "Go."*****
Much of the album takes a more atmospheric approach, with
extended sections of keyboards and strings, and buried guitars
and samples. "Home Was Good" displays this atmosphere quite
well. The keys and guitars layer beautifully here. There are
no drums, either, but truthfully, this track doesn't need
them.*****
There are some very upbeat tracks too. "Bigger Wave"
has a nice groove to it, but with Moore's haunting, monotone
vocals, there's a nice contrast. Musically the song is somewhat
uplifting, but Moore's lyrics and vocals bring it back down.
This style reappears in the track "Simple Life." Of course,
this wouldn't be a Jim Matheos album without his signature
guitar riffs, and of course, they are tastefully done. "Free"
and "All Gone Now" are heavy on the guitars, and have a fantastic
mix of samples and acoustic drums. Matheos is quite versetile,
however, and we get to hear that versetility one last time
on "Our Town," which has a very folk-ish feel to it.*****
Fans of the first album likely already have this preordered,
and they should feel confident that they made a wise choice.
OSI are becoming more comfortable with their sound, and the
pieces are falling into place. I believe that Free is a much
more cohesive album than Office of Strategic Influence was,
and because of this, it is a better album. The first OSI was
good, this album is great. This is definitely a must-have
disc
Final Score - 9/10
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