In October, Atlas released their third album titled “Built To Last”. I have a fondness for third albums, as they often marked a turning point in musicians’ careers. Artists like Bon Jovi, Springsteen, and countless others achieved breakthrough success with their third records. However, in today’s era of TikTok and short attention spans, things have changed, and artists rarely get the same opportunity.
But Atlas is different; they are made of sterner stuff. “All Or Nothing” serves as proof of that. Founded by James Thorley (I don’t think we’re related, unless my dad was up to stuff I don’t know about!), the band takes a more serious approach than the ephemeral “I want it now” culture. Craig Wells sings about how their lives didn’t go as planned, and “….Nothing” seems like the beginning of a hail Mary play. The fact that they’ve poured everything into this record shows, and they aren’t holding back.
Atlas confidently walks the line between AOR and Prog, a style often associated with bands from the continent and released by Frontiers Records. The track is confident and classy, and the riffs from Howie Little are surprisingly heavy and modern (bonus points for the solo, which exudes pure arena rock vibes). The backing vocals at the end chant “One shot is all we got,” setting the vibe for the whole thing.
If this is just the first foray into battle, the full-length album will undoubtedly be quite something.
Rating: 8.5/10
