ProgBeat: “Keep Your Head Uncovered”
On April 27th (May 19th: U.S.) O.S.I. will release their third studio album, Blood–and this is one of those bands to get excited about.
Beside just having a cool and unique sound, blending elements of so many genres of music–industrial to acoustic, electronic to metal–these guys really do understand the importance of letting themselves be influenced by other musicians.
They picked up Steven Wilson (PORCUPINE TREE, BLACKFIELD, NO-MAN) for a track in their debut album (Office of Strategic Influence), and have had Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, NEAL MORSE) drum on their debut as well as their follow-up (Free).
And now, with Blood, Kevin Moore (CHROMA KEY) and Jim Matheos (FATE’S WARNING) seem to be forcing their horizons even further. Gavin Harrison (PORCUPINE TREE), another virtuoso, will replace Portnoy on the drums; Mikael Åkerfeldt (OPETH) will be throwing his Swedish growl onto a track; and Tim Bowness (NO-MAN) will lend his soft and melodic pipes on another in the Special Edition Bonus disc.
To me, the irony never stops being funny. The modern prog scene seems to be split right down the middle: those who rehash or embelish what used to be progressive, and those who aren’t afraid to stray a little bit, possibly enduring a few heckles from those who complain that something isn’t “progressive enough” if it’s not overtly technicle or synthy. In one camp you have bands like DREAM THEATER and NEAL MORSE–both of whom I enjoy(ed), but whose formulas are becoming more and more bland and ineffective. And in the other you have artists like DEVIN TOWNSEND and O.S.I.
Is it just me, or is the fact that Kevin Moore, a DREAM THEATER alumnis, is leading the charge in post-prog while DREAM THEATER, a beacon of prog light just a handful of years ago, is still dragging their feet just brilliant?
Keep your eyes open for this one. It’s said to alternate effortlessly between “subtly atmospheric and brutally aggressive elements” to “transcend” genre. And isn’t that what prog’s all about?
This entry was posted on Monday, March 30th, 2009 at 9:28 pm and is filed under music, prog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
