SEAN MALONE Comments On Much-Anticipated OSI Debut

GORDIAN KNOT/ex-CYNIC bassist Sean Malone has commented on his recently-completed contributions to the debut album from OSI (ORCHESTRA OF STRATEGIC INFLUENCE),also featuring DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy, FATES WARNING guitarist Jim Matheos, and CHROMA KEY/ex-DREAM THEATER keyboardist Kevin Moore.

Says Malone: "It's always hard to explain the style of any kind of music, especially one that is multifaceted. Each of the tracks had a MIDI bass part that served as a guideline. In most cases, I tried to keep things simple and supportive, not being sure of everything that would be put on top. So on this disc I didn't venture out that much, but in each case tried to put my own take on things from the bottom-up. I included some Stick here and there, sometimes doubling the bass, other times playing some melodies. Some of the music is very spare and texture-heavy in these cases I did a lot of double-tracking the bass parts to create a natural kind of chorusing that I prefer to any digital effects. In fact, I rarely ever use effects on bass, so I do this once in a while to create a textural shimmer panned hard left and right. I had Mick Karn on my mind for a few tracks, bending some harmonics and playing, as he called it, 'pulse bass'. In the end though I'll have to wait and see what Jim and the crew decide for how they want to hear the parts in the final mix.

"Other tunes are reminiscent to TOOL, and others that remind the listener of the bands from whence the composers come some exciting grooves in 11, phase shifts, and chops throughout. All in all I enjoyed playing on the disc, though ultimately it would have been nice to work out parts with Mike as they were being recorded rather than after the fact. But on the other hand, technologically we're afforded the opportunity to lay down multiple versions and approaches to each song, then pick and choose what works best. I'd have to say though that not having been involved with the composing, it was most appropriate to take a session-approach to the disc, trying as much as possible to create parts that fit what Jim et al had created, versus trying to impose anything upon it."

A late October/early November through Inside Out Music is expected.