Office of Strategic Influence (2003)

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"Dream Theater meet Porcupine Tree" - that's how I could describe music performed by american prog-metal supergroup O.S.I. with a single sentence. In a certain sense, this sentence is true. The originators of O.S.I. are keyboardist Kevin Moore of Chroma Key (he was a member of Dream Theater until 1994) and guitarist Jim Matheos of Fates Warning. Other members of the group are drummer Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater again) and bassist Sean Malone (Cynic, Gordian Knot), both of whom supplied the group with best rhythm section that any prog-metal band might ever dream of. But the most remarkable fact of this album is that Steven Wilson (here is Porcupine Tree!) appears on the album as a guest vocalist on "ShutDOWN", and he also became an author of lyrics of that song. An authorship of the rest of songs on this album belongs to Kevin Moore, who also performs all vocal parts here. Music of O.S.I. can't be simply called as prog-metal. As a matter of fact, the originators of the project don't dissemble their appeal to Porcupine Tree's audience, so some psychedelic and meditative sounding as well as original "not-for-metal" Moore's vocal are represented on this album. In short, "Office of Strategic Influence" is a quite original album, and I suggest you to listen to it very much.