Risen Atlantis is, let’s be honest, a vehicle for Frank Beck to sing — and my goodness, what a voice he has.
For the last decade he’s been the touring frontman for Gamma Ray, but Power To The Past is where he truly stretches out. As Beck himself puts it, “I wanted a grittier, more powerful style in the vein of Ronnie Atkins, Jorn, Jeff Scott Soto, and Dio.” And from the very first track, it absolutely delivers.
Sometimes it’s stunning — “Glory For The Brave” being a case in point — but it’s never anything less than superb anywhere else. The presence of Alessandro Del Vecchio, who not only plays keyboards and guitar but also produces, tells you this is a Frontiers Records release. That means one thing: it sounds huge. “Legacy Divine” soars, “Sea Of Tranquillity” feels epic even though it barely passes five minutes, and “Mystic Maze” is so gloriously 80s it might as well come with shoulder pads and a place on the Miami Vice soundtrack.
There’s real gravitas in “No Hell For The Good”, the Dio influences proudly worn for all to see. The mid-album section is especially strong — “Trapped In Heaven” feels like a statement, while “Lost In Time” surely underlines the point that if Tobias Sammet ever needs another singer for Avantasia, Beck’s number should be top of the list.
It’s all cinematic, all big, all heartfelt. “A Million Miles Away” belongs on the soundtrack to an epic drama, while the astonishing scream that opens the title track is pure theatre. Even as things move toward the modern with “Wrong Destiny”, it never loses its sense of class or power.
Everything Frank Beck set out to achieve is right here. Power To The Past is a record that manages to be both reverent to the greats and confidently its own thing. Risen Atlantis might still be flying a little under the radar, but with albums like this, that won’t be the case for long.
Rating: 8.5/10
