Office of Strategic Influence (album)

Office of Strategic Influence
A blue book similar to an American passport lies on a desk surrounded by papers, folders, a pen and a glass of water. The blue book has "OSI" printed on its top centre, and "Office of Strategic Influence" along the bottom centre of the book in smaller text. The eagle found on American passports has been altered: the arrows are double-headed, the olive branch is wilted, and the eagle's wings have been clipped.
Studio album by
OSI
ReleasedFebruary 17, 2003
RecordedJune 2–9, 2002
StudioCarriage House Studios (Stamford, Connecticut)
GenreProgressive rock, progressive metal
Length47:28 (standard edition)
76:07 (limited edition)
LabelInsideOut
ProducerJim Matheos and Kevin Moore
OSI chronology
Office of Strategic Influence
(2003) 		Free
(2006)

Office of Strategic Influence is the first studio album by American progressive rock band OSI, released by Inside Out 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.

Fates Warning guitarist Jim Matheos originally recruited Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy to work on a progressive metal album. When keyboardist and vocalist Kevin Moore (founder of Chroma Key and former Dream Theater member) joined the project, the musical direction of the album changed to become more focused on soundscapes and composition than musicianship. Sean Malone (of Cynic and Gordian Knot) and Steven Wilson (of Porcupine Tree) also performed on the album.

The album is named after the Office of Strategic Influence, an organization set up after the September 11 attacks to spread misinformation and plant false news items in the media, among other functions. The Office was shut after The New York Times published a story on it; many of its operations were transferred to the Information Operations Task Force. The album's lyrics were written by Moore in reaction to the September 11 attacks.

Critical reception of the album was generally positive, praising the band's musicianship. Critics compared the band's sound to Porcupine Tree. Portnoy was ultimately dissatisfied with the experience of making the album. He performed on the second OSI album, Free, but was replaced by Gavin Harrison for Blood and Fire Make Thunder, the band's third and fourth albums respectively.