Customer Reviews

Free

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I intentionally waited for O.S.I.'s Free (Special Edition) album to be released befor purchasing, or even listening for that matter. Based upon their first album, I felt this follow up album is right on par with their sonic excellence! If you read the reviews posted on O.S.I. Free US release, you will see that I am not alone in this critique. I have to agree, however, that this release tends to be more oriented towards Kevin Moore's work. I guess you could sum it up as sounding like a supercharged Chroma Key, but I hate to attach a label to something in this way. Instead, I will say that O.S.I. are in fine form in this latest offering.

I finally broke down and purchased the second outing from the supergroup OSI.
Am I ever glad I did.

I love the first album and listen to it quite often even after owning it for a few years. The mixed reviews of the 2nd album made me hesitate but I see I had no need to worry. True, the previous album is overall more of a classic, but here we have OSI gaining a focus and making some darn fine modern prog rock.

I miss Steve Wilson's contribution, but am a happy camper after a few spins of the disc. Oh, and be sure to get this bonus disc version -- you'll be glad you sprung for the extra tracks.

I love your entire catalog of prog artists and try to get all those special 2 CD editions.

Yes the 1 disc version is supper as was the original version of their first
Office of Strategic Influence which also had a German 2 disc version.
Only the Japanese edition is available on Amazon. But look for used copies if available.

and if you can't afford the 2 disc version...just go for the one CD...but you'll want more I think!
I love Kevin Moore's work with other side project Chroma Key,
and Mike Portnoy....need I say more???

2 1/2


The rashly bland turn towards electro-pop is about as super a prog-metal group does not get- only "Set It on Fire" on the more adventurous bonus disc seems to have anything to say in this new regard.

I played OSI's first album almost to death, and it's still a great album! I then heard about another album coming out, though Portnoy wouldn't have the same influence he had on the first one. Still, 3 years later I picked up the 2-disc version of the album. It's a bit different from their first, not nearly the same. But then again had it been I may have been disappointed. Bands (and I assume prog bands more than anyone else) should evolve over time. And this being a side project for most of the members you should expect a 2nd album to be different from the first. This one certainly is.

It sounds more electronic than their first one, and that's not a bad aspect at all. You can still hear Portnoy playing on various tracks, and his contribution is more than welcome. Otherwise the album would probably be completely different. There seems to be more vocals on this album as well, so fans of Moore's style of "singing" will be quite pleased.

As with their other album, it's well worth the extra dollars for the extra tracks. The bonus disc has no videos at all, which makes room for more songs. Nothing really different from the formula listeners will become accustomed to from the first disc, which is good. You can treat the 2nd disc as Part 2 of disc one, almost making this a double-album release. Here are the tracks for the 2nd disc:

1. OSIdea 9
2. Set It On Fire
3. Communicant
4. When You're Ready (demo)
5. Remain Calm
6. Old War

Overall a great album. Not as powerful as their first, but still exceeding many of the bands that are out today. I'm anxious to hear what their 3rd album has and look forward to getting my hands on it soon.

I have both OSI Cd's and IMHO Free is the better. the songs are well written and the sampling of newscasts is cut to a minimum. the music and lyrics do all the talking! Jim Matheos' guitar and Kevin Moore's k/b weave together seamlessly. the drum beats come mostly from a machine, but when Mike Portnoy plays it's phenominal as always.i love OSI and hope more music is in the future from them.

This album has its similiarities to the previous OSI release (it's the same two guys, same band), but has some very interesting divergences from the first. I bought the double cd American version, and found that the second cd is well worth the extra $$. The first cd of Free sticks closer to Office of Strategic Influence, with the exception of Our Town. The second cd content may be a little too experimental for some people, but listen to it on headphones, and the full effect of some of the songs becomes evident. Remain Calm is a real trip.

I don't know how much effort these guys are putting into these OSI projects, but it's working.