United Progressive Fraternity -
Fall In Love With The world


(CD 2014, 68:20, Inside Out Music)

The tracks:
  1- We Only Get One World (Overture)(4:01)
  2- Choices(8:32)
  3- Intersection(8:58)
  4- The Water(5:21)
  5- Don't Look Back - Turn Left(5:36)
  6- Travelling Man (The Story of ESHU)(21:41)
  7- Fall In Love With The World(4:35)
  8- Religion Of War(3:49)
Bonus track:
  9- The Water (alternative mix)(5:47)

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Unitopia, the Australian prog band is no more, however the music lives on in the newly founded band United Progressive Fraternity. This new band consists of Mark Trueack (vocals), Matt Williams (guitar), Dave Hopgood (drums), Tim Irrgang (percussion), Guy Manning (keys), Marek Arnold (saxophone, clarinet) and Dan Mash (bass guitar).

UPF creates a mix of funk, jazz, world music, hard rock and progressive rock on their debut album and most of the tracks of course will remind the listener of Unitopia. But there is a quite remarkable difference as Fall In Love With The World features a lot more guitar melodies and solos and there are also a lot of sax, clarinet, flute and violin passages and melodies. The latter two instruments are played by guest musician Steve Unruh. The album overture We Only Get One World sounds like a soundtrack for a fantasy movie and it is a perfect opener for this album. Other highlights are Choices (melancholic), Intersection (very impressive) and The Water, featuring Jon Anderson on vocals. But the ultimate track on this album is the epic Travelling Man which clocks over 21 minutes and is a musical masterpiece of prog rock; just listen and enjoy would be my advice. Sadly the last two tracks do not reach that high musical level; in fact Religion Of War is a rather redundant, colorless track. The bonus track, an alternative mix of The Water, is rather interesting as it features Steve Hackett on guitar. This album is in fact a must for fans of Unitopia, so enjoy.

***+ Martien Koolen (edited by Robert James Pashman)

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