OSI

More of the same remains a good thing for "Blood", but it's a close call.

This release features a slickly produced, modern metal sound with hefty doses of electronic class. Kevin Moore's signature is all over this one, with his distinctively enjoyable ambient- meets-metal keyboards easily being the most enjoyable element. His signing is always understated, but it fits the album's mood perfectly. Maethos guitars are, there.. and that's all I can really say about them. He uses few embellishments to keep it interesting, chugging away metal redundancies. The result is not so much a performance, but rather a soundtrack which helps sell the final product. Very bland, very sterile. Gavin Harrison's drumming is impeccable, but ultimately unmemorable given "Blood's" tone.

The songs themselves are a mixed bag, less enjoyable as a whole than on the first or second OSI disk. Ironically, things shine their brightest when at their most minimal, the electonic/ambient sections being much more interesting than the straight-ahead metal riffing which punctuates everything in between. I didn't feel any "wow" moments.

The final listen will easily please fans of OSI's two previous (better) releases, and will easily appeal to fans of the "new" Porcupine Tree sound; but, after finishing "Blood" I was left wanting to listen to "OSI", and really wanting another Chroma Key album, either of which show more creativity and style than anything here.

Same recipe, but still awesome.

Some girls (sorry guys) are good at recycling everything in the fridge, and STILL make a great meal out of it. Like a thick omelette with the same ingredients, I don't get tired of OSI. They are good, they are great, they're fantastic: the monotone singing, the sharp guitars, the sophisticated sampling feel of an espionnage movie; it's irresistible. Kevin Moore is what's missing today with DT: sophistication. Mateos is ripping the strings with as much energy as before, and Harrisson is wearing Portnoy's shoes with ease. A winning combination with hemoglobine, ematocytes and sweat.

If you loved the other two, this one will remove efficiently the wax from your ears.

Third time out for OSI, and this time around they continue exploring the sound from previous effort Free - blending ambient and electronic elements with details from progressive metal territories.

The compositions are somewhat less embellished in structure on this most recent effort though, fewer shifts in pace and sound and not as many surprising developments by far. Nor as many really compelling moods when it comes to that.

It's still a good effort though, but with a few weak tracks and not as many really thrilling excursions as on Free, Blood is a somewhat weaker effort. A good album overall though, and those who enjoyed their previous effort will find much to enjoy on this one as well.

Well, I first picked up this album because I am a fan of old school (and new school) Dream Theater. I also had one Fates Warning album: No Exit. I wan't familiar Jim Matheos's work other than that one album, and I hadn't really listened to Chroma Key. I was expecting a prog metal supergroup that would attack my brain with a gauntlet of technical, musical .

Thank goodness my expectations were not met.

OSI is a very unique "band", and this, to me, is their finest work.

Kevin Moore's presence is evident on the opening seconds of the album, with electronic sounds and sampled sound snippets. The opener, a flurry of notes and samples called "The New Math (What He Said)" serves as an excellent introduction to not only the band, but also the next song, "OSI", a sedate rocker with a very nice strut and a very cool groove. A nice way to open the album.

The next track, "When You're Ready", is a weak spot on the album to me. It is haunting and pulsating, with a nice acoustic guitar part, but something (or everything) about it seems to make me lose patience with it. Perhaps this is due to Kevin Moore's vocals. His "robotic" vocals are a main point of OSI detractors. His singing fits the music perfectly, but it is not everyone's cup of tea.

Next is an instrumental, "Horseshoes and B-52s". This song is centered around a strong bass riff. It has a very cool groove to it, and I tend to get lost in it. Very hypnotic, very cool.

The next track is entitled "Head". It is one of my favorites on the album, due to Matheos's incredible riff that serves as the basis for the song. A simple, drop D affair, this song has a groove to be reckoned with. Nice, mellow sections are coupled next to deliciously heavy sections without ever changing the feel of the song. This creates a unique dynamic with OSI that I really enjoy. There's always a surprise around the corner, but it stays in the context of a simple song. The chorus has an eastern feel to it. An all-around excellent song, to me.

Then comes "Hello, Helicopter!". This song took a long time to grow on me, but it eventually came to be one of my favorites. A nice, upbeat, acoustic song. This is one song in particular where Moore's vocals really fit. There is a melancholy feel to them that fits the song nearly perfectly. A nice, upbeat song on the album with some very cool drumming from Mr. Mike Portnoy.

And now we come to "shutDOWN". What a treat. Kevin Moore, Jim Matheos, Mike Portnoy....and now Steven Wilson. My personal favorite song on the album. It's a haunting song that really reminds me of Porcupine Tree's slower, longer songs, such as "Russia on Ice" (and no, not just because Mr. Wilson sings on it). The main riff is an evil-sounding, almost Black Sabbath sort of thing. And just when you think you've heard the song, it speeds up and gets more angry. Wilson's vocals fit perfectly, and in fact sound a bit like Moore's on this song. It is one of the darkest songs out there, and it is the highlight of the album to me.

"Dirt From A Holy Place" is a good instrumental with some nice, evil riffing and a haunting keyboard melody. Unlike the rest of the album, for whatever reason, I find this song repetitive. A few excellent riffs make up for this, however. It's a solid song, but no highlight.

Then comes "Memory Daydreams Lapses", which has yet to catch my attention, quite honestly. A Kevin Moore-driven song, I really find it boring, honestly. A low point of the album.

The album closer, "Standby (Looks Like Rain)" really is a nice note to end on. It's another acuostic guitar-driven song with a nice, almost melancholy melody from Kevin Moore. It seems to end out of nowhere, and leave you hanging, which I quite like.

In review, OSI is NOT the mix of Moore, Matheos and Portnoy that one might expect. It reminds me of Porcupine Tree, probably because of the dark tint the entire album has. This album is full of wonderful riffs and interesting keycraft. The drumming is also a strong point. There is nothing here to remind you that Mike Portnoy is sitting behind the kit, which, in my opinion, is a good thing. This is not a barrage of notes, but rather, it takes a few really good notes and arranges them in an interesting way. I highly suggest for the fan of Porcupine Tree, Tool, and perhaps even Pain of Salvation and Riverside.

4 stars for this unique side project.

This is the first OSI album that I deeply hear in its integrity... And I'm really surprised!

I'm not exactly surprised for the originality of the songs, because they are a mix between modern metal and Kevin Moore's Chroma Key, and it's nothing really new or groundbreaking... I'm surprised for the great quality of every track included here! I think that Jim Matheos and Kevin Moore have real chemistry making music, because it's hard to find a better mix between guitars and ambiental keyboards out there.

Both the more ambiental tracks (Terminal, Radiologue...) and the harder songs (The Escape Artist, Be the Hero...) are prime quality experimental metal tunes. The collaborations also make the album even better. Mikael Akerfeldt sings great in Stockholm, and Tim Bowness's interpretation is also very interesting in the bonus and very worthy track No Celebrations, in a very different style of what he makes with Steve Wilson in No-Man.

And of course, the presence of Gavin Harrison is another point in favour of this album... His technical and really talented drumming fits perfectly to this music, and he gives a lot of textures to the songs, and tons of power in the harder tracks. I don't know how has Mike Portnoy with OSI, because I've not heard the other band's albums, but Harrison sounds like he is with them for years.

Best tracks: I like every song of the album... It's really homogene. But I specially enjoy with the splendid ambiental track Terminal (specially the longer version...), the powerful Be the Hero, the intense Radiologue, and the great guitar melodies in Blood.

Conclusion: I really like this album, and I'm really surpised with the quality of the music made by this two talented musician, with the help of great collaboration like the awesome Gavin Harrison's drums. So if you want to hear powerful metal tunes in the vein of the harder Porcupine Tree's moments, mixed with ambiental electronic music similar to things like Chroma Key, "Blood" will provide you a great listening time! Strongly recommended.

My rating: ****

I really need to rate this album for two reasons: First, I'm a great fan of this band since their beginning, and in that time I still wasn't a prog music fan, but I feel now very influenced by the prog music, and specially for this group. Second, and most important, since the release until now although I never tire of listen this album, and it could pass many many years I'll still listening. I understand that there's many guys in this site who thinks that the first OSI album, and even OSI in general enters on the category of "Good, but not essential", but I think that is because this people consider that only the Old-School (Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Yes, and company) could enter in the category of masterpiece. That's all I have to say... one more thing, if you're looking for fresh and new music, off the comercial and conventionsl, I strongly recommended to you to start with OSI's debut album.

Could be consider like power pop... but is very enjoyable...

Their second album is kind of a "heavy Chroma Key" more oriented into the Kevin Moore inspiration... sure there are heavy songs, and the excellent guitar riffs from Matheos... but you know, their are not into catching prog fans... they're just making interesting and original music into a very dense atmosphere...

The story continues with the end of the first album... this secret agent find out that he's if free 'cause they dissolve his secret spay division... so the album deals with his struggles to get a "Free" life and try to reconnect with the regular people... With this plot, you'll find Moore having fun been very ambiguous in the lyrics... so many people didn't get that is not about anybody but our secret agent life... I think the lyrics are really the outstanding thing about this album... People really get related with them...

Portnoy makes a decent job here, not overwhelming but is nice to see him been on some kind of held and not trying to bring every wall down... is nice and refreshing... The album has short songs... don't spect epics or something like that... Is all about sense and sound...

I really recomend it when you have time to really dedicate atention... 'cause you'll be wonder what he really mean on every turn... is nice... so... com'on... this is very entertaining and again, not just about crazy riffs and though music... this is about sense and soul...

You'll find yourself wanting to be "Free..."

We can,t dine that OSI has become a very productive band ,with very good musicians.

I agree with some of the comments.

Here you can,t expect a very complex prog post metal. Is quite simple ,quite poppy, quite easy listening.

Here we find similar music as nowadays King Crimson or a Perfect Circle.

Very attractive mix of ritmic sounds and melodies.

Yes may be the first OSI album was more complex ..with the typical Kevin Moore strong influence (Chroma Key kind).

Well a pleasure to listen this album but is without doubt very far to be masterpiece of exp p metal or general prog.rock.

3 stars will be a reasonable average

For OSI's second album, the core of the band remains the same; we have the same Matheos/Moore combination as before, and Portnoy once again handles the drumming. The only difference is the loss of Sean Malone. Instead, where necessary, Joey Vera plays bass for the album.

Anyone who is interested in exploring OSI's music should be warned if they are jumping straight from Dream Theater. Yes, Kevin Moore and Mike Portnoy are both musicians on the album 'Free', and the former is the main songwriting force behind the record, but this is no 'Images And Words'. 'Free' is modern, dark, cold, bitter, and introverted. The music is so very far removed from Moore's previous work, and indeed it will not cater for everyone's tastes.

However, this album, in its own way, is truly fantastic. There are many clever musical devices used; the most prevalent being Kevin's unorthodox vocal style. His inner most thoughts are cryptically presented through the lyrics, and his entirely neutral voice remarkably allows the music to sound incredibly expressive. It draws the attention away from anything too melodic or emotional in the singing itself, but whether the guitars are raging in true Matheos fashion, or trancy synths drive the tracks, Moore's impartial delivery keeps the listener alert to draw and deduce the nature of the songs in their head. His voice conforms excellently with every mood that passes by, without making great alteration to his style at all.

This intriguing record has a diverse collection of songs, that become more distinct and develop their own personalities with multiple careful listens. Vocal effects, a far more groove orientated feel to Portnoy's drumming, chunky guitar riffs and intense keyboard and programming effects are all combined together here to leave the listener lost in the enigma that is 'Free'. Mysterious music indeed. With OSI, there are no right or wrong answers, only questions.

(4.4 stars)

Good enough to keep on check....

com'on.... give you a chance to try something new, fresh, original and atmospheric... Maybe some people could come with a Dream Theater or Fates Warning standards, these is not what you expect... This is some kind of electronic music meets metal with a few prog elements... but sure it is outstanding...

The songs are really into the Jim Matheos style... while Kevin Moore chooses some riffs and ideas and arrange it to make different pieces of a whole -"The thing that never was" is the original demo from Matheos ideas that Moore chop and structure here and there-... So for the first try they manages to do something very entertaning and interesting for better things yet to come... their 3rd album is quite better... well balanced...

Well, the album is great... is fresh and some of you will be delight by Portnoy performance, while I really find that the interesting thing about this music is the merge of electronic paths and patches with the heavy -and some really beautiful acoustic- guitars...

supposed to be a concept album... is not like you cannot understand what is going on if you don't listen to the complete piece.. no... you can skip some songs depending on the mood you have... 'cause there are really sad sad songs, and some though and cynicall vibe type of songs... so is better to be prepared to a journey through different emotions...

While the general piece is heavy with well written guitar riffs... the acoustic songs are really the deal here... refreshing all the saturated atmosphere of the album... I love "Hello Helicopter" and "Stand By (looks like rain)"... what a marvelous song to end up this journey... you really feels the rain and the cold outside, while you feel like your'e alone over the sea.. that's the way I feel it... and that's why listen to music.. right...?? to feel something unique and these sure achieve it...

don't like too much the Steven Wilson collaboration... but still works for the metal prog lovers... and the special edition has three very interesting songs... don't buy the regular edition... sure it worth the extra dollars... Get it with a mind free... and you'll be satisfied... sure I was... and still I am...!!!