BLOOD

Still packed with strong and vibrant ideas, still exuberantly contemporary, sonically unorthodox and experimentally tasteful, OSI's third album 'Blood' is another tremendously well-done entry in the discography of the short-lived project headed by Jim Matheos and Kevin Moore. And obviously with a well-defined and recognizable musical identity, 'Blood' had to further solidify OSI's presence (or rather, existence) as an experimental heavy prog rock project that dares to take the genre a step further, always with a taste for the inventive in the face of the extremely well-conducted blend of heavy riff-oriented music with strong influences from electronica and ambient, resulting in quite an otherworldly, memorable experience. Recruiting then-Porcupine Tree drummer Gavin Harrison as a replacement for Portnoy who had described his previous experience as "frustrating", one can definitely hear a very Porcupine Tree-ish influence this time around - the album is a nearly perfect symbiosis of the earlier heavy, moody sound and the more experimental and programmed songwriting of 'Free', interwoven into the overall dark and ghastly atmosphere of the album, not quite as on an industrial record but still very alternative and rampant, and in a sense, as melancholic and frustrated as a 'Fear of a Blank Planet'.

The fast-paced riffs and the menacing synth explorations of Kevin Moore are certainly elevated by the tremendous performance of Harrison who recorded his parts remotely and never met the core members of the band. Allowing themselves to retrace their progressive roots, OSI focused on writing more daring, intricate and experimental music - the outcome is once again very focused album that exemplifies everything that makes this project special, and with virtually no filler this is arguably the most consistent album released by Moore and Matheos, full of stellar compositions that should appeal to fans of dark and heavy progressive music, drawing upon the usual influences of alternative and electronic music. OSI are definitely more sonically expansive than a Fates Warning, more eclectic than a Dream Theater, and very often as moody as a Pocupine Tree. Particular highlights on 'Blood' include 'The Escape Artist', 'Terminal', 'Radiologue', 'Be the Hero', 'Stockholm' (with lyrics and vocals by Opeth's Mikael Åkerfeldt as well as the title track.