OFFICE OF STRATEGIC INFLUENCE

1. The New Math (What He Said) 2003; yes 20 years and this major album risks becoming unclassifiable; well polished intro, prog metal, the rhythm explodes suddenly, yes we feel the DREAM THEATER, yes the FATES WARNING, yes it moves like putting your fingers in a socket; this bass, these voice-overs, just orgasmic, but what is that sound? 2. OSI for the eponymous title, louder, suddenly more electro, more hypnotic, more stroboscopic; more tweaked, to get into a trance even faster; sound effects, a violent riff, that reminds me a little of what WILSON was able to do, what he's on, OK! the monolithic guitar solo with the devastating liquid synth solo, this bewitching, cottony, distant and present voice of Kevin, OSI! 3. When You're Ready ah arpeggio followed by a detuned and syncopated tune, clashing with the progueux in phase with its slow musical monotony which suits it 4. Horseshoes and B-52's just watch the music video, it will explain this avant-garde and futuristic sound better than anything; punchy, rhythmic sound, a strobe, black, an electric discharge, lightning striking you, the musical quintessence of prog metal, that's it! this drum roll, this haunting sound, I haven't found anything better! 5. Head with a Japanese sound from afar, Kevin's well-posed voice and this vague riff that sows and disrupts the clichés; the angry guitar that sets fire, ah the pleasure of moving... and not dozing off, yes new blood prog in there; it goes up, the harsh, metronomic riff becomes hard; break with vibrating bass more than that you can't, your ears are on alert, something new every 10 seconds, this synth which fills the back of the room, no escape 6. Hello, Helicopter! PINK FLOYD style guitar arpeggio to breathe a little, we need it after this perfect start; hold the voice resembles that of the Archangel; more Floydian, more latent, more in research, title which states yes all that is true

7. shutDOWN...I always thought there was more...I can do better...what do I understand English now? The oriented synth of the Mediterranean banks; Hey Steve comes to put his voice there... shutDOWN yes I understand well, which is the egg or the chicken, yes I feel the vibration of the PORCUPINE TREE, but the good one eh, the one that stirs your stomach musical, which launches emotion; break halfway through, another whispered phrasing sample, the declination unfolds; the metal prog becomes metallic, alternative on a bad ROGUE MALE, yes I couldn't help it, well it's eructive...eruptive! 8. Dirt from a Holy Place arrives and sends into the ethereal; make way for electronics, yes this cold dark-wave side which is always underground and visionary; ambient sound which leaves on the tortured Floydian mind for a time but that's not all... the drift which follows is intended to be dark, heavy, viscous, diabolical; we arrive at the stoner sound that MONKEY3 is currently magnifying; the explosive finale, on a supercharged, immense THE GATHERING 9. Memory Daydream Lapses with hypnotic overbass, just to make you epileptic, yes too many lights and too many vibrating sounds have created epilepsies, especially now and you forget it, zombies are actually being born; inverted samples, that's it, the anti-metal prud association is going to come and annoy us again with their delusions of satanic sounds, crazy ones, bad ones; the synth pad lasts until the end 10. Standby (Looks Like Rain) for the conservatory ballad, or how to regain self-control after this long and demanding apnea; a tune with acoustics, samples for fun from time to time that's enough 11. Horseshoes and B-52s (bonus video clip) just for the pleasure of seeing in jerky black and white, yes some will understand

The bonus CD edition includes almost 30' more with: 1. Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun.. to reinforce the group's reminiscences; good higher, louder, more tweaked here with wandering jazz-prog piano and Mike's crazy drums who gives it his all 2. New Mama for a trip with tweaked vocal samples too! 3. The Thing That Never Was... it could have been that of METALLICA... intro which could have been on the DREAM THEATER, yes all that holds up; a full, immense sound, something to listen to with your fingers in the socket to... be in phase; a long, hypnotic and crazy crescendo with a dithyrambic ending.

OSI therefore released an OMNI at the start of the millennium and I had to talk about it, an essential and underrated album; well with Jim Matheos from FATES WARNING, Kevin Moore and Mike Portnoy from DREAM THEATER and Sean Malone from CYNIC I tell myself that it couldn't be otherwise.