FIRE MAKE THUNDER

It is sometimes difficult to be critical of bands that have a strong forward momentum; as well as such luminaries as Moore, Matheos and Harrison behind the wheel. I gave this disc a couple of listens before attempting to write this review.

The telltale OSI sound is clear and abundant in this disc, and, those who enjoy their sound will find comfort in this album. Listening to this disc is like wearing a pair of older comfortable shoes. They fit well and you can walk miles in them, but there isn't any real excitement in putting them on. I do appreciate the continuity of the music album to album, but I don't find a freshness to the music, or that emotional charge when a really good peice of hard prog hits you.

Having said that, there are a few notables on this disc. 'Indian Curse' is a well crafted mellow piece of moody music; almost ethereal, and well worth the listen. 'Invisible Men' is my favourite piece on this disc; moving from the recognizable OSI mellow starting licks to heavier more forceful piece.

Specifically, I would like to say, Gavin Harrison is an undeniable drumming force today, and should play runner up to Neil Peart. I look forward with great expectation to his participation in whatever band makes use of his talents going forward.

If you give 'Blood' a 4, and play it back to back with "Fire Makes Thunder' then this album gets a 3.

3.4 / 5