(thing) by kabj Mon Apr 21 2003 at 18:41:15

Synopsis

Office of Strategic Influence is a progressive rock supergroup. It is also the name of the group's first album.

History of The Band

It was Mike Portnoy who had the initial idea of working together with Fates Warning's Jim Matheos. However, Matheos was busy at the time, but Roine Stolt came to resque, and so Transatlantic was born.

Later, Jim Matheos contacted Portnoy to form Office of Strategic Influence. The original lineup was the following:

However, Daniel Gildenlöw was dropped later from the line-up, because Matheos felt that he needed to take the band to a different direction (Gildenlöw was originally supposed to be a vocalist / co-compser in the project, but Matheos later decided that Moore should do all the vocals himself). Also, Sean Malone has been named as 'guest bass guitarist', and therefore is not a permanent member of the group.

After this, the recording process for the group's first, self-titled album began at Carriage House Studios in Connecticut.

The Band Members

Discography

  • 2003 - Office of Strategic Influence

The Album

Office of Strategic Influence's first album is self-titled (and therefore is included in this same node as the description of the band).

There are two international versions of the album available in CD format. The limited edition includes a bonus disc containing three extra songs and video documentary. Furthermore, there is a Japanese version of the album available. It is apparently a single-disc release with all the audio tracks of the limited version (thirteen tracks altogether).

The album also features Sean Malone of Gordian Knot on bass and Stick, and Steve Wilson of Porcupine Tree on vocals on shutDOWN

The music on this album is not exactly what you'd expect when considering the style of the parent bands: it is less agressive, with a heavy but slow, industrial-like sound. Perhaps the biggest surprise (at least for a Dream Theater/Transatlantic fan) is that Portnoy's drumming is rather "plain" for most of the time, thus allowing a rather laidback rhythm. Moore's vocals are not very powerful, but this works well to create the album's strong mood.

Track Listing:

  1. The New Math (what he said) 03:36
  2. OSI 03:48
  3. When You're Ready 04:09
  4. Horseshoes And B-52's 04:18
  5. Head 05:17
  6. Hello, Helicopter! 03:44
  7. shutDOWN 10:25 (feat. Steve Wilson from Porcupine Tree)
  8. Dirt From A Holy Place 05:10
  9. Memory Daydreams Lapses 05:56
  10. Standby (looks like rain) 02:09

Limited Edition Bonus CD

  1. Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun 08:49 (Pink Floyd cover)
  2. New Mama 02:22 (Neil Young cover)
  3. The Thing That Never Was 17:21

I like it!