Even not being the style it was in the 70s, Progressive Rock still has a great charm. That tender and melodic form of music filled with technical arrangements and grandiose work from keyboards. In these days, Progressive Rock bands evades the use of very long songs and the exacerbation of instrumental technique, and prefers a solid work that can reach a broader part of the public, without losing their Progressive essence. So, we can say that the North American quartet WORLD TRADE is here to unite the Progressive Rock soul with a more accessible sound, as we can hear on "Unify", their latest work.

We can feel the same energy and Progressive insight that GENESIS, EMERSON LAKE AND PALMER and YES had on their past, but they searched for a more compact format, so the album's songs are not as long as some Progressive Rock albums from the past (and let me tell you all a thing: some bands used an entire side of a LP with only one song back then). But their melodies are easy to understand, and they bear an 80is feeling that is excellent. Although their technical work has some complexity (especially on bass guitar and keyboards), the musical work as a whole is accessible, so be prepared for a travel of very good taste.

There was a great care on the sound production of the album, for you can understand each musical instrument separately one from the other, as well as the understanding of all musical arrangements of the songs is perfect. And as it is not a Metal album, the lack of aggressiveness will not cause problems. This blend of Progressive Rock elements with Classic Rock/AOR melodic lines is really excellent, and the tender energy and catchy musical arrangements of "The New Norm" along with its excellent keyboards parts, the noir atmosphere that fills "Where We're Going" and the very good work on guitars (especially on the solo), the fine technical work from bass guitar and drums shown on the Jazz/Rock fusion of "On Target on Time", the 80s feeling that is permeating the arrangements of "Unify" (very good vocals and backing vocals, indeed) and "Life Force" (this one showing very good melodies and some technical complexity in many moments), and some of the modern energy of Rock that can be felt on "Again" are their best moments on the album.

If you have problems dealing with Progressive Rock or Prog Metal, listen to "Unify" and maybe you'll be up for understanding both genres in a perfect way.