Free (OSI album)
Encyclopedia
Free is the second album by American progressive rock
band OSI
, released by InsideOut Music
on April 21, 2006.
Guitarist Jim Matheos
and keyboardist and vocalist Kevin Moore
decided to work on a follow-up to Office of Strategic Influence
after the two found they both had holes in their schedules. Drummer Mike Portnoy
returned as a session musician
rather than a full band member. Joey Vera
replaced Sean Malone
on bass guitar.
Free was met with generally positive critical reception. Critics noted that the album was different from its predecessor, focusing more on Moore's keyboards than Matheos' guitars. Portnoy's drumming received praise; Moore's vocals received mixed reactions. A remix EP entitled re:free was released on October 24, 2006, featuring remixes of three tracks from Free.
album, Office of Strategic Influence
, was released in 2003, Jim Matheos
and Kevin Moore
returned to their respective projects. Matheos released the album FWX
and toured with Fates Warning
. Moore moved from Costa Rica
to Istanbul
, Turkey
. In 2004, he released the third Chroma Key
album, Graveyard Mountain Home
, and wrote the soundtrack (released as Ghost Book
) to the Turkish horror film Okul
. Matheos and Moore both had holes in their schedules, so decided to work on a second OSI album.
The writing and recording process were largely the same as that for the first OSI album. Matheos would send Moore guitar, keyboard and programming parts; Moore would then "chop them up and stuff". Matheos considers the writing process for OSI as more collaborative than writing for his other band, Fates Warning: "With Fates I write songs and we don’t really change a whole lot from my final version to the version that goes on the record," he said. "With Kevin it's much more collaborative in that I come up with a song idea and it can change completely from my original idea to the final product on the record."
Matheos originally intended the first OSI album as a "project" which would never produce a second album. For Free, Matheos and Moore wanted to use a different musician lineup to focus OSI on primarily being Matheos and Moore. They did not want to give the impression that the guests on the first album were part of the band. Matheos stated that the music on Free was "focused less on the progressive elements or the metal elements that were on the first record. We thought we could do something just a little more groove oriented." Matheos and Moore had both worked with bassist Joey Vera
in the past and considered him "perfect" for the album. Moore was pleased with Vera's bass parts: Vera sent them to Moore in a state such that they required very little editing or enhancement for the final mix of the album.
Dream Theater
drummer Mike Portnoy
was listed as a full member of OSI on the first album, but found working on the first album to be a difficult experience. Moore noted that Portnoy "wasn't used to having other people have strong ideas about what the drum parts should be". For Free, Portnoy contributed drum tracks as a session musician
, agreeing to "take [Matheos and Moore's] ideas and do the best he could with playing", according to Moore. Portnoy's drum parts were recorded at Carriage House Studios
in Stamford, Connecticut
from November 18 to November 20, 2005.
Moore described the lyrics on the album as "just whatever is going on in my head... I try to development from a stream of consciousness to something that makes sense". He said the lyrics primarily spoke of relationships, "our way of trying to keep them, the resulting problems and that kind of thing". Moore cited Roger Waters
and Peter Gabriel
as influences on his vocal style, "Those guys don’t have the best voices either, but they pull it off then I figured I could do it too," he said. He noted that musically his progressive
influences "will always be there" because they influenced all his music, but could not name any other influences as "[he listens] to so much stuff it just gets lost".
Moore doubletracked
his vocals, but apart from occasional use of delay did not use any effects on his vocals. He used an Elektron Monomachine
and a Minimoog Voyager
with computer software to produce the keyboard sounds on the album. Matheos detuned his guitars to C# and sometimes B instead of using a seven-string guitar
because he prefers the sound of a detuned guitar: "To me, they sound totally different if you have those nice loose, floppy strings," he said. "It's a real bitch to keep them in tune, stopping every couple measures, retuning and punching back in. Especially for [a] song that's in B, or even C# is a problem sometimes, especially if you're doing a lot of fast moving around or high up on the neck. It's a pain in the ass, but I really like that sound. I don't think I would ever go to a 7-string."
on April 24, 2006.
Matheos and Moore were keen to tour the US and Europe in the fall of 2006. In a 2009 interview, Moore reflected that "we tried to get together [to tour], but it just didn’t happen".
The special edition of the album contained six extra songs: two were songs that didn't make it to the final album, but Matheos noted "were interesting nonetheless"; two tracks were songs Moore had written for Radio For Peace International. Another track was a demo
of "When You're Ready", a track from Office of Strategic Influence. An EP entitled re:free was released on October 24, 2006. InsideOut Music released a CD version of the EP and Burning Shed
released a vinyl version. The EP features the tracks "Go" (remixed by Console
), "Kicking" and "Home Was Good" (both remixed by Moore) and a multimedia
track of "Free".
praised the album as "a masterful evolution of the sound of two fabulous musicians", describing it as "a magnificent symbiosis of metal and experimental electronica." Jake Rosenberg of Transcending the Mundane stated that on Office of Strategic Influence, "it sounded like they were experimenting with different approaches, but never really established the OSI sound". He lauded Free for "[sounding] like the work of a mature and confident band". Adrien Begrand of PopMatters
regarded Free as "a challenge to fans of both Fates Warning and Dream Theater, and one that will surprise those who think this is just another slice of flashy prog metal bombast."
Reviewers commented on the differences between Free and Office of Strategic Influence. Rosenberg described Free as "heavier, darker, more experimental and a lot more consistent" than the first album. Stewart Mason of Allmusic described the album as "downright commercial in a way that none of the duo's previous projects have been". He regarded the album as less like the "standard-issue epic metal" of the first album and more like "Evanescence
's gothy metal
-pop crossed with late-era Radiohead
's fondness for electronic interference". He considered the songwriting as "catchy enough that it's not unthinkable that unadventurous rock radio programmers could take a shine to the title track or 'Go'", although noted that "Fates Warning and Dream Theater fans might be less impressed". Rosenberg considers Free as musically "a more progressive version of Nine Inch Nails
. Instead of creating their darkness with angst and depression, OSI creates their darkness with sheer indifference." Begrand compared the album to Head Control System
, "in that it tends to stray from the typical metal template in an attempt at something a little more electronic influenced". Although not considering Free to be as "enthralling" as Head Control System, he noted that the album "still has its moments".
Critics noted that there was a greater focus on Moore's keyboards than Matheos' guitar riffs. Blogcritics said that "Free focuses a lot on the keyboards and programming of Kevin Moore", although Matheos' "heavy guitar riffs, while not as frequent on this disc, have an even harder edge. They have an energy, and urgency, and serious metal crunch to them that will make any rocker sit up and pay attention." Chad Bower of About.com
noted that Free "isn't one of those metal albums that hypes you up and makes you want to break stuff. It's one where you have to sit back, throw on the headphones, and appreciate the complexity and musicianship." Olav Björnsen of Prog4you.com stated that "layers upon layers of electronic sounds, that fill out the soundscapes of the songs, create nuances and subtle moods as well as walls of sound and tension." He said that Matheos used acoustic and electric guitars "to fill out the soundscapes even more, and is at the most effective when playing the acoustic guitar, giving life and warmth to songs that would have been a bit cold sounding without that input."
Bower described Moore's "laid back and relaxed" vocals as "[fitting] in perfectly with the atmospheric style music". Blogcritics praised Moore's vocals as being "in such stark contrast to the music that it serves to heighten the tension of the songs". Björnsen considered Moore's vocals as "an important asset" to the album: "He isn't a good vocalist when it comes to singing voice or range, but utilizes his talk-like singing effectively, binding together eleven quite different sounding songs." Rosenberg considered Moore's vocals and lyrics as "the thing that stands out the most", comparing him to Roger Waters
. Mason dismissed Moore's vocals, describing them as "unfortunately reminiscent of any number of faceless alternative rock singers". Begrand criticized Moore's "monotonous droning" as "tiresome".
Mike Portnoy's drumming received praise. "Mike Portnoy continues to amaze with his adaptability, playing perfectly with just about whatever style of music," Blogcritics noted. Björnsen commended Portnoy's performance, noting that "He delivers driving rhythms when appropriate, and has a more laid back approach when necessary". Batmaz praised Portnoy for "displaying admirable restraint": "Free is perhaps his most minimalistic side, because of the thick atmosphere on the album, but at any rate, his performance his spectacular". Blogcritics praised Vera's bass parts as "[adding] extra strength and depth to the rhythm section."
Batmaz regarded "All Gone Now" as "arguably the best song", describing it as being "built upon a strong foundation of atmosphere and dynamics. Constantly shifting between mad riffage and daunting synth passages, this song features some of the finest melodies Kevin Moore has written since Awake
. His synth melodies simply soar to high levels while Matheos' playing contrasts the eerie mood of the piece." Björnsen dismissed "Our Town" as "filler".
Re:free track listing
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band OSI
OSI (band)
OSI is an American progressive rock band, originally formed by Fates Warning guitarist Jim Matheos in 2002. Chroma Key keyboardist and vocalist Kevin Moore is the only other full-time member of the band...
, released by InsideOut Music
InsideOut Music
Inside Out Music is a German independent record label based in Kleve, in the North Rhine-Westphalia region, and dedicated to the publication of progressive rock, progressive metal and related styles music albums.-History:...
on April 21, 2006.
Guitarist Jim Matheos
Jim Matheos
Jim Matheos , is the American guitarist and primary songwriter for the progressive metal band Fates Warning. As of bassist Joe DiBiase's departure in 1996, he is the band's only permanent member...
and keyboardist and vocalist Kevin Moore
Kevin Moore
For the blues singer, see Keb' Mo'.Kevin Moore is a keyboardist, vocalist and composer and founder of the Chroma Key music project. He is also a former member of the American progressive metal band Dream Theater, co-founder of the progressive rock supergroup O.S.I. and has composed film soundtracks...
decided to work on a follow-up to Office of Strategic Influence
Office of Strategic Influence (album)
Office of Strategic Influence is the first album by American progressive rock band OSI, released by InsideOut Music on February 18, 2003. The album was recorded in June 2002 and mixed in August 2002 at the Carriage House Studios in Stamford, Connecticut....
after the two found they both had holes in their schedules. Drummer Mike Portnoy
Mike Portnoy
Michael Stephen "Mike" Portnoy is an American drummer primarily known as the former drummer, backing vocalist, and a co-founder of the progressive metal band Dream Theater, as well as the temporary drummer for the hard rock band Avenged Sevenfold. Known for his drumming prowess and technical...
returned as a session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
rather than a full band member. Joey Vera
Joey Vera
Joey Vera is an American heavy metal bassist for heavy metal band Armored Saint. He is also a member of the progressive metal band Fates Warning. In 2004-05 he replaced Frank Bello in Anthrax as the band's bassist. He appears as part of the project Engine, as well as on the OSI album Free. His...
replaced Sean Malone
Sean Malone
Sean Malone is an American musician who plays primarily fretless bass guitar and Chapman stick. However, Malone also plays piano, keyboards, and guitar. He is most well known as a member of the progressive band Cynic.- Biography :...
on bass guitar.
Free was met with generally positive critical reception. Critics noted that the album was different from its predecessor, focusing more on Moore's keyboards than Matheos' guitars. Portnoy's drumming received praise; Moore's vocals received mixed reactions. A remix EP entitled re:free was released on October 24, 2006, featuring remixes of three tracks from Free.
Background
After the first OSIOSI (band)
OSI is an American progressive rock band, originally formed by Fates Warning guitarist Jim Matheos in 2002. Chroma Key keyboardist and vocalist Kevin Moore is the only other full-time member of the band...
album, Office of Strategic Influence
Office of Strategic Influence (album)
Office of Strategic Influence is the first album by American progressive rock band OSI, released by InsideOut Music on February 18, 2003. The album was recorded in June 2002 and mixed in August 2002 at the Carriage House Studios in Stamford, Connecticut....
, was released in 2003, Jim Matheos
Jim Matheos
Jim Matheos , is the American guitarist and primary songwriter for the progressive metal band Fates Warning. As of bassist Joe DiBiase's departure in 1996, he is the band's only permanent member...
and Kevin Moore
Kevin Moore
For the blues singer, see Keb' Mo'.Kevin Moore is a keyboardist, vocalist and composer and founder of the Chroma Key music project. He is also a former member of the American progressive metal band Dream Theater, co-founder of the progressive rock supergroup O.S.I. and has composed film soundtracks...
returned to their respective projects. Matheos released the album FWX
FWX
FWX is the tenth studio album by the progressive metal group Fates Warning, released in 2004. The name stands for "Fates Warning X", or "Fates Warning 10".-Track listing:# "Left Here" – 6:59# "Simple Human" – 4:03# "River Wide Ocean Deep" – 6:09...
and toured with Fates Warning
Fates Warning
Fates Warning is an American progressive metal band, formed in 1982 by vocalist John Arch, guitarists Jim Matheos and Victor Arduini, bassist Joe DiBiase, and drummer Steve Zimmerman in Hartford, Connecticut. Fates Warning has experienced numerous line-up changes...
. Moore moved from Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
to Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. In 2004, he released the third Chroma Key
Chroma Key
Chroma Key is the name under which ex-Dream Theater keyboardist Kevin Moore records. Although primarily a solo project, several other musicians have recorded as part of Chroma Key such as bassist Joey Vera, drummer Mark Zonder, and guitarist Jason Anderson....
album, Graveyard Mountain Home
Graveyard Mountain Home
Graveyard Mountain Home is the third studio album released under the name Chroma Key by American keyboardist Kevin Moore. It was released on November 8, 2004 by InsideOut Music. Moore originally started work on the album in 2003, planning to release a less electronica-influenced album than previous...
, and wrote the soundtrack (released as Ghost Book
Ghost Book
Ghost Book is the soundtrack to Turkish horror movie Okul. Kevin Moore made it while he was living in Istanbul, Turkey.-Track listing:...
) to the Turkish horror film Okul
Okul (film)
Okul is a 2004 Turkish horror-comedy film directed by the Taylan brothers . It is adapted from the novel Hayalet Kitap by Doğu Yücel who also wrote the screenplay. Kevin Moore provided the film's soundtrack....
. Matheos and Moore both had holes in their schedules, so decided to work on a second OSI album.
The writing and recording process were largely the same as that for the first OSI album. Matheos would send Moore guitar, keyboard and programming parts; Moore would then "chop them up and stuff". Matheos considers the writing process for OSI as more collaborative than writing for his other band, Fates Warning: "With Fates I write songs and we don’t really change a whole lot from my final version to the version that goes on the record," he said. "With Kevin it's much more collaborative in that I come up with a song idea and it can change completely from my original idea to the final product on the record."
Matheos originally intended the first OSI album as a "project" which would never produce a second album. For Free, Matheos and Moore wanted to use a different musician lineup to focus OSI on primarily being Matheos and Moore. They did not want to give the impression that the guests on the first album were part of the band. Matheos stated that the music on Free was "focused less on the progressive elements or the metal elements that were on the first record. We thought we could do something just a little more groove oriented." Matheos and Moore had both worked with bassist Joey Vera
Joey Vera
Joey Vera is an American heavy metal bassist for heavy metal band Armored Saint. He is also a member of the progressive metal band Fates Warning. In 2004-05 he replaced Frank Bello in Anthrax as the band's bassist. He appears as part of the project Engine, as well as on the OSI album Free. His...
in the past and considered him "perfect" for the album. Moore was pleased with Vera's bass parts: Vera sent them to Moore in a state such that they required very little editing or enhancement for the final mix of the album.
Dream Theater
Dream Theater
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would...
drummer Mike Portnoy
Mike Portnoy
Michael Stephen "Mike" Portnoy is an American drummer primarily known as the former drummer, backing vocalist, and a co-founder of the progressive metal band Dream Theater, as well as the temporary drummer for the hard rock band Avenged Sevenfold. Known for his drumming prowess and technical...
was listed as a full member of OSI on the first album, but found working on the first album to be a difficult experience. Moore noted that Portnoy "wasn't used to having other people have strong ideas about what the drum parts should be". For Free, Portnoy contributed drum tracks as a session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
, agreeing to "take [Matheos and Moore's] ideas and do the best he could with playing", according to Moore. Portnoy's drum parts were recorded at Carriage House Studios
Carriage House Studios
Carriage House Studios is a residential recording studio located in the suburbs of Stamford, Connecticut. Established in 1980, the Carriage House has recorded well-known artists like Diana Ross, Derek Trucks, Johnny Winter, Meatloaf, Rakim, Pantera, Ronnie Dio, Phyllis Hyman, Spyro Gyra, and The...
in Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
from November 18 to November 20, 2005.
Composition
Moore stated that he and Matheos had an idea of what style of music to write for Free as they "both have similar feelings about what worked on the first album". He considered the album as "more focused" than its predecessor. He noted that Free continued "the mood of some of the songs of the first album and the melodies and mixing up some of the heavy stuff with the programming. As opposed to the instrumental, straight ahead, progressive stuff we did". He attributed the band's sound to the "very different" ideas he and Matheos' had.Moore described the lyrics on the album as "just whatever is going on in my head... I try to development from a stream of consciousness to something that makes sense". He said the lyrics primarily spoke of relationships, "our way of trying to keep them, the resulting problems and that kind of thing". Moore cited Roger Waters
Roger Waters
George Roger Waters is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. He was a founding member of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd, serving as bassist and co-lead vocalist. Following the departure of bandmate Syd Barrett in 1968, Waters became the band's lyricist, principal songwriter...
and Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
as influences on his vocal style, "Those guys don’t have the best voices either, but they pull it off then I figured I could do it too," he said. He noted that musically his progressive
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
influences "will always be there" because they influenced all his music, but could not name any other influences as "[he listens] to so much stuff it just gets lost".
Moore doubletracked
Doubletracking
Double tracking is an audio recording technique in which a performer sings or plays along with their own prerecorded performance, usually to produce a stronger or "bigger" sound than can be obtained with a single voice or instrument. It is a form of overdubbing; the distinction comes from the...
his vocals, but apart from occasional use of delay did not use any effects on his vocals. He used an Elektron Monomachine
Elektron Monomachine
The Elektron Monomachine is a synthesizer and music sequencer by Elektron. The Monomachine is available as SFX-60 model, which is a desktop sound module, and was available as the SFX-6 model, which has a keyboard and a joystick controller...
and a Minimoog Voyager
Minimoog Voyager
The Minimoog Voyager or Voyager is a monophonic analog synthesizer, designed by Robert Moog and released in 2002 by Moog Music. The Voyager was modeled after the classic Minimoog synthesizer that was popular in the 1970s, and is meant to be a successor to that instrument.-Design:Like the original...
with computer software to produce the keyboard sounds on the album. Matheos detuned his guitars to C# and sometimes B instead of using a seven-string guitar
Seven-string guitar
A seven-string guitar is a guitar with seven strings instead of the usual six. Some types of seven-string guitars are specific to certain cultures . The standard 7-string guitar tuning is BEADGbe...
because he prefers the sound of a detuned guitar: "To me, they sound totally different if you have those nice loose, floppy strings," he said. "It's a real bitch to keep them in tune, stopping every couple measures, retuning and punching back in. Especially for [a] song that's in B, or even C# is a problem sometimes, especially if you're doing a lot of fast moving around or high up on the neck. It's a pain in the ass, but I really like that sound. I don't think I would ever go to a 7-string."
Release and promotion
Free was released by InsideOut MusicInsideOut Music
Inside Out Music is a German independent record label based in Kleve, in the North Rhine-Westphalia region, and dedicated to the publication of progressive rock, progressive metal and related styles music albums.-History:...
on April 24, 2006.
Matheos and Moore were keen to tour the US and Europe in the fall of 2006. In a 2009 interview, Moore reflected that "we tried to get together [to tour], but it just didn’t happen".
The special edition of the album contained six extra songs: two were songs that didn't make it to the final album, but Matheos noted "were interesting nonetheless"; two tracks were songs Moore had written for Radio For Peace International. Another track was a demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
of "When You're Ready", a track from Office of Strategic Influence. An EP entitled re:free was released on October 24, 2006. InsideOut Music released a CD version of the EP and Burning Shed
Burning Shed
Burning Shed is an independent record label established in April 2001 by musicians Tim Bowness and Peter Chilvers, in association with duplication company manager and former Noisebox Records boss, Pete Morgan....
released a vinyl version. The EP features the tracks "Go" (remixed by Console
Console (musician)
Console is an electronic music project by Martin Gretschmann, the lead programmer for German band Notwist. Relying heavily on elements of electronic music, Console's music is reminiscent of some electro bands, such as Ladytron and Miss Kittin....
), "Kicking" and "Home Was Good" (both remixed by Moore) and a multimedia
Multimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
track of "Free".
Reception
Critical reception for Free was generally positive. BlogcriticsBlogcritics
Blogcritics is a blog network and online magazine of news and opinion. The site—a self-proclaimed "sinister cabal of superior writers"—was founded in 2002 by Eric Olsen and Phillip Winn...
praised the album as "a masterful evolution of the sound of two fabulous musicians", describing it as "a magnificent symbiosis of metal and experimental electronica." Jake Rosenberg of Transcending the Mundane stated that on Office of Strategic Influence, "it sounded like they were experimenting with different approaches, but never really established the OSI sound". He lauded Free for "[sounding] like the work of a mature and confident band". Adrien Begrand of PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
regarded Free as "a challenge to fans of both Fates Warning and Dream Theater, and one that will surprise those who think this is just another slice of flashy prog metal bombast."
Reviewers commented on the differences between Free and Office of Strategic Influence. Rosenberg described Free as "heavier, darker, more experimental and a lot more consistent" than the first album. Stewart Mason of Allmusic described the album as "downright commercial in a way that none of the duo's previous projects have been". He regarded the album as less like the "standard-issue epic metal" of the first album and more like "Evanescence
Evanescence
Evanescence is an American rock band founded in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1995 by singer/pianist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody. After recording private albums, the band released their first full-length album, Fallen, on Wind-up Records in 2003. Fallen sold more than 17 million copies worldwide...
's gothy metal
Gothic metal
Gothic metal or goth metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that combines the aggression of doom metal with the dark melancholy of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy metal music...
-pop crossed with late-era Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
's fondness for electronic interference". He considered the songwriting as "catchy enough that it's not unthinkable that unadventurous rock radio programmers could take a shine to the title track or 'Go'", although noted that "Fates Warning and Dream Theater fans might be less impressed". Rosenberg considers Free as musically "a more progressive version of Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
. Instead of creating their darkness with angst and depression, OSI creates their darkness with sheer indifference." Begrand compared the album to Head Control System
Head Control System
Head Control System is a cross-national groove rock/metal band featuring Portuguese Daniel Cardoso and Norwegian Kristoffer Rygg . Head Control System is currently part of North-American The End Records' roster along with bands such as Voivod, The Gathering, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum and Ulver...
, "in that it tends to stray from the typical metal template in an attempt at something a little more electronic influenced". Although not considering Free to be as "enthralling" as Head Control System, he noted that the album "still has its moments".
Critics noted that there was a greater focus on Moore's keyboards than Matheos' guitar riffs. Blogcritics said that "Free focuses a lot on the keyboards and programming of Kevin Moore", although Matheos' "heavy guitar riffs, while not as frequent on this disc, have an even harder edge. They have an energy, and urgency, and serious metal crunch to them that will make any rocker sit up and pay attention." Chad Bower of About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
noted that Free "isn't one of those metal albums that hypes you up and makes you want to break stuff. It's one where you have to sit back, throw on the headphones, and appreciate the complexity and musicianship." Olav Björnsen of Prog4you.com stated that "layers upon layers of electronic sounds, that fill out the soundscapes of the songs, create nuances and subtle moods as well as walls of sound and tension." He said that Matheos used acoustic and electric guitars "to fill out the soundscapes even more, and is at the most effective when playing the acoustic guitar, giving life and warmth to songs that would have been a bit cold sounding without that input."
Bower described Moore's "laid back and relaxed" vocals as "[fitting] in perfectly with the atmospheric style music". Blogcritics praised Moore's vocals as being "in such stark contrast to the music that it serves to heighten the tension of the songs". Björnsen considered Moore's vocals as "an important asset" to the album: "He isn't a good vocalist when it comes to singing voice or range, but utilizes his talk-like singing effectively, binding together eleven quite different sounding songs." Rosenberg considered Moore's vocals and lyrics as "the thing that stands out the most", comparing him to Roger Waters
Roger Waters
George Roger Waters is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. He was a founding member of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd, serving as bassist and co-lead vocalist. Following the departure of bandmate Syd Barrett in 1968, Waters became the band's lyricist, principal songwriter...
. Mason dismissed Moore's vocals, describing them as "unfortunately reminiscent of any number of faceless alternative rock singers". Begrand criticized Moore's "monotonous droning" as "tiresome".
Mike Portnoy's drumming received praise. "Mike Portnoy continues to amaze with his adaptability, playing perfectly with just about whatever style of music," Blogcritics noted. Björnsen commended Portnoy's performance, noting that "He delivers driving rhythms when appropriate, and has a more laid back approach when necessary". Batmaz praised Portnoy for "displaying admirable restraint": "Free is perhaps his most minimalistic side, because of the thick atmosphere on the album, but at any rate, his performance his spectacular". Blogcritics praised Vera's bass parts as "[adding] extra strength and depth to the rhythm section."
Batmaz regarded "All Gone Now" as "arguably the best song", describing it as being "built upon a strong foundation of atmosphere and dynamics. Constantly shifting between mad riffage and daunting synth passages, this song features some of the finest melodies Kevin Moore has written since Awake
Awake (Dream Theater album)
Awake is the third studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released on October 4, 1994 by East West Records. It was the last Dream Theater album to feature keyboardist Kevin Moore, who announced his decision to leave the band during the recording of the album.Much of the...
. His synth melodies simply soar to high levels while Matheos' playing contrasts the eerie mood of the piece." Björnsen dismissed "Our Town" as "filler".
Track listing
Special edition bonus discRe:free track listing
Personnel
- Jim MatheosJim MatheosJim Matheos , is the American guitarist and primary songwriter for the progressive metal band Fates Warning. As of bassist Joe DiBiase's departure in 1996, he is the band's only permanent member...
- guitars, keyboards and programming - Kevin MooreKevin MooreFor the blues singer, see Keb' Mo'.Kevin Moore is a keyboardist, vocalist and composer and founder of the Chroma Key music project. He is also a former member of the American progressive metal band Dream Theater, co-founder of the progressive rock supergroup O.S.I. and has composed film soundtracks...
- vocals, keyboards and programming - Mike PortnoyMike PortnoyMichael Stephen "Mike" Portnoy is an American drummer primarily known as the former drummer, backing vocalist, and a co-founder of the progressive metal band Dream Theater, as well as the temporary drummer for the hard rock band Avenged Sevenfold. Known for his drumming prowess and technical...
- acoustic drums - Joey VeraJoey VeraJoey Vera is an American heavy metal bassist for heavy metal band Armored Saint. He is also a member of the progressive metal band Fates Warning. In 2004-05 he replaced Frank Bello in Anthrax as the band's bassist. He appears as part of the project Engine, as well as on the OSI album Free. His...
- bass on tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, and 7 - Bige Akdeniz - guitar and vocals on "Old War"