BLOOD

Carries oxygen to the brain.

Blood is the third album from supergroup OSI. Composed at its core of Jim Mathoes and Kevin Moore (ex-Dream Theater), this band first shook the progressive world with the release of their self-titled album back in 2003. Thanks to an eerie soundscape built by Moore's keyboards likely during his time working on Chroma Key the album enjoys status as a cult classic in the experimental progressive world, a pure mix of atmosphere and metal textures. They followed this up with the release of Free in 2006, an album less focused on being traditionally progressive and more about electronics and hard rock. Free was also the first album I ever reviewed for this site, so I find it appropriate to be typing away on their third release, Blood.

This has been a fairly anticipated album thanks to a number of things, and first off on the list is the guest stars. Recruited on drums this time around is percussion master and Porcupine Tree member, Gavin Harrison, who lends his very distinguishable sound to the album without drawing it close to PT comparisons. The other addition to the album isn't around throughout, but does make an appearance on Stockholm, and that would be none other than Opeth frontman, Mikael Akerfeldt. He definitely switches up the music a bit thanks to his very dark voice which admittedly sounds a lot less robotic than Moore's, although he is very restrained on the tune. Anyone expecting Akerfeldt to unleash some death growls will be disappointed, but those who just love his singing voice will likely approve.

Style wise, this album may well have been a literal combination of the band's last two efforts. I makes for a very refreshing album overall, since the songs are not quite as long in length, but are no doubt just as ''progressive'' as one would expect them to be. They're still harshly dark, maybe more so than previous albums, and a little less on the electronica side of things, which is a nice change from Free and the EP Re: Free.

Among the songs themselves there's a lot to look forward to. Things get off to a blistering start with The Escape Artist which rings of Sure You Will from Free but with a more rock oriented direction and less repetition in the chorus, making it the perfect start. Terminal is a slow and brooding tune that utilizes Moore's voice and odd choice of lyrics to create a terrifying atmosphere over the course of the song. False Start is another hard rocker in the vein of Free's title track but with more atmosphere.

But it's the second half of the album where things really start to get good. If the first half is where the majority of the comparisons to Free come in, then the second half definitely has to be the one closer in kin with the band's debut. Radiologue is another song that makes the most of the more atmospheric side of things, still somehow managing to channel the spirit of metal to make the song into a very formidable force. From there Be The Hero rocks out with some meaningful lyrics and is probably the last time on the album where things are simply really heavy. Microburst Alert is the album's instrumental track, much in the same fashion as The New Math from the debut album - there's garbled conversation underneath the tracks until you can clearly hear someone yell, 'whoa! Stop! Stop! Stop!', at which point the music takes a turn from standard instrumental to 'blast your brains out awesome' with chugging guitars and mean rhythms until things all slow back down again for the conclusion.

The two concluding tracks almost run together, but are just another one of the standout points of the album. Stolkholm as previously mentioned, is fronted my Mikael Akerfeldt, and to describe how it sounds... imagine OSI doing a cover of one of the slow songs from Ghost Reveries with Akerfeldt at the helm and you've pretty much nailed the sound. It's unique, and so long as you don't go into it expecting it to be a death metal epic then you're likely going to enjoy the hell out of it. Much against the grain of what OSI normally does, Blood does not conclude with a soft and melancholy song like Standby (Looks Like Rain) or Our Town. This one doesn't go out with a bang either, this one drags you into a dark vortex with the short but effective opus, Blood, which comes off as a 5-minute extension to Stockholm with Moore constructing some of the most evil soundscapes you've ever heard. This is likely the song that's going to take the longest to catch on with most listeners, but damn is it ever rewarding.

Overall this is a strong release from one of the best modern artists of this progressive era. A definite improvement over their sophomore album and something that's going to give most of the releases this year a run for their money in the ''best album of the year'' department. Dark, evil and yet somehow sickeningly sweet to listen to, OSI's Blood walks away with a strong 4 blood cells out of 5, highly recommended.

Having not enjoyed the cold and clinical sound of OSI's first 2 albums I may be a little mad to shell out for Blood too but what drew me in was the inclusion of one of my favourite drummers, Gavin Harrison of Porcupine Tree fame, who incidentally puts in a fine performance. Well while Blood is unlikely to be in my top 10 albums of 2009 it turns out to be my favourite release by the band.

Getting the complaints out the way first..well I still don't like Kevin Moore's monotone vocal delivery despite the fact that they fit in well with the modernistic electronic post metal sound. Fortunately Mikael Akerfeldt (Opeth) comes to the rescue on one track - Stockholm.

One of my biggest problems with their previous album Free was I felt Jim Matheos was underused on guitar; well I'm pleased to say he's much more to the fore here turning in some strong riffs throughout on the likes of album opener The Escape Artist ably assisted by Gavin Harrison's distinctive impeccably timed drumming driving the song along. It's one of the better tracks with Moore's synth noodlings kept in check by Matheos' powerful riffing. Equally heavy and just as good is the short but sweet False Start.

Despite my preference for 70's style keyboard sounds, perhaps partly because I now know what to expect from Moore I find myself more tolerant of his sequencers and modern synth sounds and quite enjoy some of the atmospheric textures he creates on the likes of The Terminal and We Come Undone.

I also enjoyed the powerful Radiologue with its hypnotic groove and equally so Be The Hero. Microburst Alert is a bit of a throwaway track but a pleasant surprise towards the end of the album is Stockholm not least because of Mikael Akerfeldt taking over from Moore on vocals. It's a laid back moody piece until Matheos introduces some heavy riffing close to the end with a fine performance from Akerfeldt, fortunately not in death metal vocal mode. Title track Blood is a strong closer too, like Stockholm a moody atmospheric track but more powerful.

Somewhat surprising, if you happen to own the bonus disc version is the fact that No Celebrations has been relegated to a bonus track. It's has a fantastic riff from Matheos and actually heavier than any of the other tracks and superior to at least half the album.

Overall Blood is a big improvement on past OSI albums, not only because of Matheos being a more dominant force in the guitar department but also for the more imaginative and interesting arrangements. Finally an OSI album I haven't regretted buying!

I'm a huge fan of this side project of Jim Matheos (FATES WARNING) and Kevin Moore (CHROMA KEY). In fact these two guys are two of my favourite musicians and the bands they represent are near the top of my list as well. There are differences between each of the three albums these guys have recorded but if you like one of them chances are you'll like them all. They really combine the Metal of Matheos and the Electronica of Moore to interesting results. The guests this band has had over these three albums has also been impressive. Mike Portnoy played drums on the first two while we get Gavin Harrison this time around. Mikael Akerfeldt sings and plays on one track ("Stockholm") while Tim Bowness also sings on an amazing tune called "No Celebrations" on the bonus disk which is well worth getting.

"The Escape Artist" opens with guitar and synths followed by drums and then it kicks in with heavy riffs. Nice. Vocals follow and I really like the chorus. It settles 3 1/2 minutes in then Matheos comes in grinding away a minute later as it kicks back in. "Terminal" opens with bass and drums as synths join in. Vocals before 1 1/2 minutes. A very atmospheric and melancholic track. The drums are so crisp 6 minutes in. "False Start" is a straight up rocker. It kicks in heavily right off the hop before settling with electronics. Contrasts continue. Vocals a minute in.The guitar is heavy a minute later. "We Come Undone" opens with some atmosphere then vocals and a beat come in before a minute. Some spoken word samples as well before 3 minutes. A laid back atmospheric tune. "Radiologue" opens with sounds that build before it settles into a cool beat with electronics. Vocals a minute in. Amazing sound after 4 minutes. Great tune that reminds me of CHROMA KEY. "Be The Hero" opens with a haunting atmosphere before kicking in loudly after a minute (it comes and goes). After 2 minutes we get heavy riffs. Vocals join in. I like the catchy line : "He's a hero from coast to coast yeah".

"Microburst Alert" has some incredible drum patterns early then we get vocal samples, then back to the beat as contrasts continue. It kicks in at 2 1/2 minutes. The lyrics for "Stockholm" were written by Akerfeldt but Moore / Matheos wrote the music. The music is dark and atmospheric. Vocals a minute in. It stays fairly laid back until before 5 1/2 minutes in when it turns heavy and intense before settling back down. Love the drumming early on the title track "Blood". Guitar comes in and then keys. Vocals 1 1/2 minutes in. Keys and atmosphere after 3 minutes. A fuller sound with vocals a minute later. I have the bonus disc fortunately because the best song of the lot is "No Celebrations" written and sung by Tim Bowness. I'm surprised at how good his vocals sound with heavy music. They are fantastic ! A nice heavy sound to open and the drums sound incredible. Heaviness follows then Tim comes in. I really like the synths too. Matheos lights it up 3 1/2 minutes in. If your a NO-MAN fan you need to check this song out. "Christian Brothers" is my least favourite. It just doesn't sound like it belongs. It's completely different from all the others. More of a FOO FIGHTERS styed song with f-bombs. It's good but a little out of place. "Terminal (Endless)" is great. Very CHROMA KEY-like and one of my favourites. Lots of atmosphere and electronics with Kevin's melancholic vocals.

Another great OSI album and a solid 4 stars.

Blood is the third full-length studio album by US progressive rock/ metal act OSI. I remember being very enthusiastic when the debut album Office of Strategic Influence (2003) by OSI when that one was released. Being a fan of both Dream Theater, Fates Warning and to some degree Chroma Key of course meant that I had to check out that album and I was not disappointed. When OSI released their second studio album Free (2006) my enthusiasm with the project cooled a bit as I found that the album basically sounded just like another Chroma Key album. Not bad at all just not what I expected. So I wasn´t expecting too much from Blood. I´ve been pleasantly surprised though.

The music style is still unmistakably OSI. Atmospheric/ ambient progressive rock mixed with occasional heavy riffing by guitarist Jim Matheos ( Fates Warning). The mellow and rather monotone vocals by Kevin Moore ( Dream Theater, Chroma Key) are an aquired taste and I´ve heard many people complaining about them. I think they have the right amount of bleak melancholi to satisfy my taste so I have no problem with them. I think they suit the music well. There´s been a lineup change as Mike Portnoy ( Dream Theater) does not play the drums on Blood. New drummer is Gavin Harrison ( Porcupine Tree). The latter does a great job here and Mike Portnoy is not missed a second. The songs range from heavy rock/ metal songs with lots of keyboards and electronic elements and the more ambient electronic songs that remind me of the style of music Kevin Moore plays in his other project Chroma Key. There are most songs in the latter catagory though and that´s probably my biggest complaint with Blood. It´s not that I don´t enjoy those songs. On the contrary I actually enjoy them much but the thing I found so great about the debut album was that Kevin Moore and Jim Matheos seemed to collaborate a lot in the songwriting process and that doesn´t seem to be the case on either Free nor on Blood. Most songs seem to have been written solely by one member and then arranged afterwards by the band. This is only me guessing of course but that´s how it sounds to me.

The musicianship on the album is excellent. Great drums, guitar/ bass and Kevin Moore is innovative on the keyboards and with the electronics as always. While Kevin Moore is the main vocalist on the album we get a few guest vocal appearances too. Mikael Åkerfeldt ( Opeth, Bloodbath) guests on Stockholm while Tim Bowness ( No-Man) guests on the title track.

The production is excellent.

I must admit that I had given up on OSI after Free but as always my curiosity grew to a point where I had to purchase Blood. While I don´t find Blood as accomplished as Office of Strategic Influence I think it´s a step in the right direction compared to Free and I can recommend checking out the album. 3.5 stars.

A refreshing journey. Metal meets ambience in the perfect balance.

Sure this is not what everybody expects from a collaboration between a former Dream Theater member (Kevin Moore) and Fates Warning guitarplayer (Jim Matheos). This album is oriented in a darker way that the previous two O.S.I. collaboration and the result is: my favorite album from 2009.

If you already knew the work of Kevin Moore in Chroma Key you will get very well this album. The ambience orientation and the soundscapes are stimulating while the heavy clear metal riffing of Matheos shake enough ground to you be entertained and stimulated. The robotic emotionless of Moore helps to develop better the concept of this history about spies and government lies. Of course, just like in the "Free" album, the topics are hiding behind regular struggles of life, just like any spy tries to do to pass overlooked. This is the thing that I feel great about the concept of O.S.I.: everybody can felt related to the lyrics, no matter the government is haunting us and I think we all tries to fit in with the regular lifes we suppose to live in our societies. So, maybe, the spy on the tale are us, hiding from ourselves. Don't know, but that's the feeling that the story brings me, especially because Moore's voice seems always out of emotion, like he's hiding something behind every word he sings.

Now, the music is like metal riffing with ambience sampling and layering. Nothing more really, but it stimulate my mind just great and the feeling is better when you travel alone in your car through a landscape or in the road during the night. Mike Portnoy is no more in the band and now Mr. Gavin Harrison provided the drums. I didn't expected nothing less for this great and measured drummer, but Portnoy remains more creative in the previous albums. Mikael Akerfeldt from Opeth gave the vocals for maybe the darker song of the album: Stockholm. Nice to hear him not growling. The song is very intense in a slow pace development. The production is tip top, with an impressive quality sounding.

Be sure to get the special edition. There are only three songs extra, but they cover 20+ minutes of great music. No Celebrations is maybe the best song of the all productions. Lyrics and lead vocals brought by Tim Bowness. 4 stars because it's an excellent addition to any prog collection.

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: ****

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.

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.

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.

Songwriting: 3 Instrumental Performances: 3 Lyrics/Vocals: 2 Style/Emotion/Replay: 2

Blood is the third instalment of the cooperation between Jim Matheos of Fates Warning and Kevin Moore from Dream Theatre and Chroma Key. With Gavin Harrison on drums and remarkable vocal contributions from Mike Akerfeldt and Tim Bowness, it is a super group of sorts.

The album has a good balance between Matheos' crunchy guitar riffs and Moore's qualities as song smith, keyboard genius and low key vocalist. Matheos provides simple but irresistible riffs on The Escape Artist, Moore's vocals are gorgeous. Many people may find his melodies too simple and his range too limited, but I think that such a judgement has more to do with approaching him with the wrong preconceptions, rather then with his assumed flaws. Moore is not the big operatic voice that is expected in this style of music. He is a David Gilmour that ended up in a progressive metal band. Actually, it's one of the reason why OSI is so compelling to me and why I find them an original force in a field of music swamped with clichés.

Of course Moore has his limitations as a vocalist, but he is well aware of them. It's one of his charms really. He makes the most out of what he has and complements it with guest vocalist that provide a fresh breath of air without disrupting or even changing the OSI sound a lot. Akerfeldt shines on Stockholm, one of the highlights of the album. He proves himself an extraordinary vocalist again and comes up with a vocal melody that doesn't sound like anything he had done before. The song has a notable touch of Zeppelin's No Quarter.

Another remarkable contribution comes from Tim Bowness. No-man's front man is the last voice you would expect on a progressive metal song but he's fabulous on the most metallic and finest song on the album (at least if you have the special edition). Bowness doesn't stray from his usual vocal approach at all, but it's a match made in heaven. First-class and very unusual, surprising. One of the most original moments in metal in many years.

Another remarkable aspect of OSI is of course Moore's unique approach to keyboards. Together with Richard Barbieri he's the most inspiring and tasteful keyboard/sample player of the last 30 years. In fact, I'd only place Richard Wright just one level higher in the list of most meaningful keyboard players in rock music.

The album has not one weak spot and, while it isn't as excellent as the debut, fans of that album will doubtlessly find this a return to form. 4 firm stars.

False start

OSI began as a collaboration between Jim Matheos of Fates Waring, Kevin Moore of Chroma Key (and formally Dream Theater), and Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater. After two albums, Mike Portnoy was fed up of feeling like a studio drummer rather and a collaborator, so he dropped out of the problem after the band's sophomore album Free. As a replacement, the band brought in Porcupine Tree drummer Gavin Harrison to record their next album, Blood. Having a much more ambient and electronic feel than their debut (sadly I have yet to hear Free) the album is much more contemplative and mellow feeling to it with much less metal on the album. The balance of ambience and metal found on the album is a little off balance, however, with only a few hard hitting (and fantastic) metallic tracks only dotting the many more slow ambient tracks, some of which can be a bit slow moving and uneventful.

Blasting off with the killer The Escape Artist, I was at first hopeful for a fantastic album full of thumping metal tracks accented by Harrison's jazzier approach to metal and Matheos' inventive riffing. However, the album debuted on what I would soon call a False Start (ha, a pun), seeing as the album quickly halted after the end of that track. Although the ambient and psychedelic work of Kevin Moore began to grow on me with further listens, I was at first bored by his keyboard layers and atmospheric work. However, these short, hard hitting metal moments start to emerge as nice dynamics to the music, spicing up the ambient continuity with spices of metallic bliss; although the harder tracks are shorter and less contemplative than the ambient material, they pack a potent punch of dense Moore-esque metal, with incredible lyrics, very mellow melodies accenting crushing metallic riffs, and an overall fantastic display of composition work. However, as the atmospheres decline from psychedelic bliss to boring repetition, the greandeur of this album starts to diminish. Although I am supremely impressed by Moore's lyrical skill, his vocal style, and his prowess with the ambient keyboard loop, I am doomed to consider this album a rather non-essential release; the band has a great lineup and some truly spectacular moments, but overall the album does not do all that much for me, except make for a relaxing musical journey whenever I feel like being serenaded by this electronic amalgamation. Until Microburst Alert, which is little more than a jazzed up (instrumental) hip hop song.

In the end, this album is a very good release. However, its genius is limited. With only two truly metal songs and seven good but not as good ambient atmospheric tracks, the album begins to drag out by the time the title track rolls around. I do find it difficult, however, to sound like I'm trashing this album when it truly is a very good album. I just thing a little more metal injection would do it some good, especially with the massive success I found with The Escape Artist and False Start. Moore's atmospheres and lyrics make for a nice sublime journey, but they can't really compete with some of the heavier material on the album. Overall, Blood is a good album, but not an absolute necessity. 3+ stars.