Prog collective Unitopia have announced they will release a new live Blue-ray/CD and USB, Alive And Kicking, through progrock.com's Essentials label on March 7.
The new release was recorded on the band's tour in support of 2023's Seven Chambers album at a gig at Zoetermeer's famous Boerderij venue in the Netherlands on September 14, 2023.
"We threaded the needle to make this tour happen," explains label boss Mark Monforti. "Alphonso Johnson was unavailable and Don Schiff had to learn the show in four weeks. Chester Thompson had a bad case of tendinosis and asked to be replaced but came anyway, Mark Trueack was unable to stand for long periods, the band came from six different timezones and hadn’t met until three days before their show.
"John Greenwood and I had to donate money to get the production values to where they needed to be for the seven-show tour. It was only appropriate that they were touring an album about the frailty of the human condition."
Formed in Australia in 1996 by singer Mark Truack and keyboardist Sean Timms, the band released four respected albums before splitting in 2012, with Timms forming Southern Empire and Truack United Progressive Fraternity. The band reformed in 2020 with an all-new line-up including Chester Thompson and fusion legend Alphonso Johnson.
A 15th-anniversary edition of Unitopia's 2010 album Artificial is also to be released in 2025 along with Truack's own Save US EP.
The USB version of Alive And Kicking includes a high-quality mp4 of the concert video, 48kHz 24-bit stereo audio tracks, and lyric videos. The Blu-ray, in addition to the stereo mix, includes a selectable DTS surround mix by band violinist Steve Unruh.
Unitopia: Alive And Kicking
CD 1:
1. Broken Heart
2. Introduction of Seven Chambers
3. Something Invisible
4. The Stroke of Midnight
5. Mania
6. The Uncertain
CD 2:
1. Tesla
2. The Garden
3. The Great Reward
Blu-ray
1. Broken Heart
2. Introduction of Seven Chambers
3. Something Invisible
4. The Stroke of Midnight
5. Mania
6. The Uncertain
7. Tesla
8. The Garden
9. The Great Reward
