OSI - Blood | Music Time

OSI - Blood

CD REVIEW

Disclosure

Cyrus Hiruma

To complete the trilogy of keyboardist of Dream Theater, here's the review of the new album from OSI (Office of Strategic Influence), Blood, project Kevin Moore and guitarist Jim Matheos, the band Fates Warning.

In this third CD, significant changes: the group no longer has a permanent bass player, Matheos was responsible for the instrument. Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater) ceded its place to Gavin Harrison, the veteran drummer of Porcupine Tree who recently took over the sticks of the Crimson King doing double with Pat Mastelotto. His presence is remarkable, after the influence of these two bands scores at various times of OSI.

There could be no more appropriate title for "The Escape Artist," the opening track. The composition is really the art of escape, distance yourself from conventional. Heavy riffs and precise guitar pave the way for heavy metal. The chorus is striking. And Moore fills all the spaces with keyboards, specifically target the creation of climates, as in the previous works of the band. His voice continues to remind the style of Rick Wright, keyboardist of Pink Floyd died. Although not a great singer, his presence éideal to the group's proposal.

"Terminal" is full of programaçãoo electronic synthesizers suddenly appear with unusual timbres. The voice is close to a whisper, which recalls some songs from Porcupine Tree, especially hypnotic and minimalist sense that the group had early in his career.

"False Start" light, about three minutes of weight: starts with synths that recall an Indian mantra followed by guitar riffs that keep the same melody. The battery Gavin Harrison is agile and ensures the variation of percussive music.

The program of "We Come Undone" brings elements of drum 'n'bass, and surrounding soft keyboards that are constantly approached by electronic sounds that approximate the noise.

An opening in the style "industrial" is no longer for "Radiologue." Programming rhythmic mechanical gives way to a melody that briefly recalls "Goodbye Blue Sky" by Pink Floyd. The fusion guitar keyboards get more intensity gradually directed to heavy metal. Composiçãoo An excellent exercise in precision and creativity.

Sounds thin, sharp metal and serve as an introduction to "Be the Hero", the keyboards create mild climates alternating with aggressive guitar riffs and fast. Soils bring influences of King Crimson. The chorus, in turn, reveals the more accessible side of music.

"Microburst Alert" brings tension from beginning to end. The program suggests a systematic electronic alarm, with the title shows, and a distant voice that simulates a radio conversation, says: "Stop! Stop ". The urgency that adds Jim Matheos on your guitar is a pretext for a sudden closure.

In "Stockholm", Mikael Ökerfeldt of Opeth, appears on vocals. The music lets not forget that Kevin Moore was the composer of "Space Dye Vest" from Awake (1994), Dream Theater. The synths are aimed at creating ambience and the sound is dark, dense.

The title track follows the progress of the theme, "blood": the rhythm is pulsating like the sound of the heartbeat, the blood that runs through the veins. All this driven by the energy of Gavin Harrison. It would be the ideal track for a TV series The X-Files style.

Jim Matheos and Kevin Moore (Disclosure)

There is a special edition that features a CD with three extra tracks. "The Celebrations" is the only time that Moore recalls the era Dream Theater, their keyboards with a touch of "Caught in the Web" (from Awake). Tim Bowness's vocals are perfect and the melody has some resemblance to the theme of the movie Mission Impossible.

"Christian Brothers" is a tribute to the late musician Elliott Smith (1969-2003), a tribute more than fair, recreated in the style OSI. And "Terminal (Endless)", the extended version of the band's first CD is worth listening to ten minutes and wait a few surprises.

Blood curious listening experience. On the one hand, pure innovation and experimentation. On the other, an affordable component able to win several amateur musical trends: heavy metal, progressive, techno, experimental.

Great to hear music last generation without the need to define labels and sonic styles.

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