Free (OSI Album) - Reception

Reception

Critical reception for Free was generally positive. Blogcritics 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 " 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 " 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 " 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".