OFFICE OF STRATEGIC INFLUENCE (LIMITED EDITION)

Stellar line-up composed of Jim Matheos (Fates Warning guitarist), Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater drummer), Kevin Moore (Chroma Key,ex-Dream Theater keyboards) and Sean Malone (Gordian Knot bassist) - and if that was'nt enough it also features Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson as guest vocalist on the track 'ShutDOWN' - and NO that was'nt a 'cap lock' moment.

Track one 'The New Math (What He Said)' opens with some radio/movie chatter before launching into the song proper - and it has to be said that until now I had'nt appreciated what a good guitarist Matheos is, and how much of the Fates' sound is down to him.The drumming is top notch as expected and in conjunction the bass makes up an excellent rhythm section.We segue into track two 'OSI' and its a mid-tempo song which has a catchy hook to it. Track three is 'When You're Ready', a slowish one which isn't that great in my opinion I have to say.'Horseshoe's and B52's' comes next and its a fairly good instrumental - again NOT outstanding though. The next track is 'Head'and it finds us in Fates' mode again with a flavour of DT thrown in, it'll please fans of both bands I'm pretty sure. 'Hello Helicopter!' opens a little like Floyd with acoustic guitar and radio on the background, its a solid enough song with no obvious highlights.

Track seven is the ten and a half minute long 'ShutDOWN' featuring the aforementioned Steven Wilson on vocals. Its a pretty atmospheric track, moody and VERY Porcupine Tree-like. It gains momentum near the end and is pretty powerful on the whole. Next up is 'Dirt From a Holy Place', a pretty sombre piece. 'Memory Daydreams Lapses' follows and its a slow builder which....does'nt really....build. 'Standby (Looks Like Rain)' is just over two minutes long and is definitely influenced by Pink Floyd in acoustic mode. Which is a coincidence because disc two in this set opens with a Pink Floyd cover 'Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun'. It's a pretty good version too. Track two on the second disc is 'New Mama' - a two and a half minute song which features some dialogue from the movie Rambo (bizarre). Lastly we have 'The Thing That Never Was' which is over seventeen minutes long. Its a complex song and has passages which echo some of the themes present throughout the album. A classic prog song it has to be said.