MATHEMATICAL MOTHER

Although UNIVERSAL TOTEM ORCHESTRA formed all the way back in 1998, this eclectic zeuhl hybrid act hasn't exactly been the most prolific artist in the world of prog having only released three albums in its quarter of a century existence but while UTO Giorgio Golin's former band Runaway Totem has been much more productive as far as releasing a large quantity of albums, UTO has rather focused on quality which is something i appreciate very much. It took nine years for UTO to follow up it's 1999 debut "Rituale Alieno" and finally in 2008 "The Magus" emerged and it would take another eight years to release its third album MATHEMATICAL MOTHER which came out in 2016. As of this calendar year 2024 it seems that it's time for a fourth installment in the UTO universe as the band appears to remain active and given the creative mind-blowing albums it's delivered so far, i sure hope that's the case!

Amazingly this third album retains the exact same lineup as the previous one while the second album featured an almost completely new lineup! Once again Ana Torres Fraile, Antonio Fedeli (vocals), Daniele Valle (guitar), Fabrizio Mattuzzi (keyboard, piano), Uto Giorgio Golin (drums) and Yanik Lorenzo Andreatta (bass) along with seven guest musicians and vocalists to deliver another slice of extraordinary diverse prog rock primarily based on the Magma inspired zeuhl flavors of yore. Adventurous and exceedingly eccentric, UTO fortifies its zeuhl foundation with all kinds of classic prog flavors including dissonant guitar rumbling in the vein of classic King Crimson, knotty time signature raucousness reminiscent of Gentle Giant, Middle Eastern flavored folk fusion reminding of the Italian classic of Area and even moments of Renaissance inspired symphonic prog. Add a few spacier moments courtesy of the world of Krautrock and Pink Floyd, elements of jazz, opera and medieval music and you have one amazingly diverse slice of top notch zeuhl here!

It's really hard to describe such an album that infuses so much into its six tracks that add up to about 54 minutes of playing time. While retaining that bouncy zeuhl grooviness most notably in the bass lines and vocalist Ana Torres Fraile's vocal style right out of the Stella Vander playbook, the "extras" on this album have no limits. It's crazy electronic keyboard solos one minutes and Indian vocal chanting the next from the multitude of backing singers who offer opposing contrapuntal elements to Fraile's mostly uniform vocal style. Sounds you almost never associate with zeuhl are fair game with UTO. This includes Middle Eastern musical scales, guitar solos, Phillip Glass inspired keyboard virtuosity, Gregorian chants, touches of gothic rock, crazy avant-prog diversions and well the list goes on! UTO also retains its Italian prog heritage by delivering lyrics not in some fictitious language but rather in its native tongue.

With so many elements on board it would be easy for album like MATHEMATICAL MOTHER to spiral out of control but UTO does an impeccable job of keeping it all organized in a logical and cohesive procession with Fraile's motherly vocals providing the stabilizing force to let the rest of the band run wild. Of course the zeuhl bass grooves also add a bit of cohesiveness to the entire affair but even Andreatta is let off the leash a bit allowing more dynamic bass grooves than pretty much any other zeuhl act i've yet encountered. Perhaps the most unexpected element of MATHEMATICAL MOTHER is the recurring use of those exotic Middle Eastern musical scales that evoke Area's early albums. Add to that the abundant use of crazy time signature rich adventurism and i could easily call this one of the most diverse and demanding zeuhl albums out there. It's not all technical wizardry though. Plenty of slow and contemplative moments occur as breathing room such as the soft and warming beginning of "Architettura Dell'Acqua." In other words, the album is well balanced.

I was thoroughly impressed with UNIVERSAL TOTEM ORCHESTRA first two releases but this one just takes all the wild and unrestrained creativity to a new level and not only that pulls it off with ease! Perhaps it required the entire eight years to polish the early rough gem into the sparkling diamond that it would become. The band has also strayed further from the Magma influences than most others all without deemphasizing its dedication to the zeuhl branch of progressive rock that it has nurtured so well into a totally new independent offspring. A demanding album that requires a few spins to sink in but a rewarding one with so many twists and turns that it's impossible NOT to be impressed! Bravo. It'll probably require another eight years of hard work to top this one!