Dennis Atlas has announced the global release of his solo album titled Principle on May 15 via MRI. Today, he shares the lead single “Violent Power.” The anthemic track brings each listener into a world where humanity’s ability to thrive is so potent that the forces of violence are not just defeated, but instead have no bearing on existence in the first place.
The song features world-renowned drummer Marco Minnemann and Atlas on lead vocals, keys, bass, and guitar, and was co-written by Dennis Atlas and Steve Bonino. The official video was shot and directed by Toto frontman Joseph Williams.
Atlas shares, “Joe and I were at my studio going over some vocals for the upcoming Toto tour. I showed him my rough draft for a video I had for ‘Violent Power,’ since he had expressed interest in helping me with this kind of stuff. He completely altered what would become the world’s introduction to this album, steering the imagery, lighting, and videography into a vision that supported the song. Then, he even helped guide me down the right path with the editing. Once he was involved, what we came up with immediately made my rough draft look like a joke! It was night and day! I couldn’t be more thankful and appreciative of his time and support. And thank you to my good friends Marco Minnemann (on drums) and Steve Bonino (co-writer of this song) for making their cameos in this video! And to Sabrina at UnicornCat Artworks for the awesome animated album cover. To me, the video now perfectly encapsulates the energy of the song ‘Violent Power,’ ready for release as the lead single!”
Pre-order the album here.
Within the world of Dennis Atlas, his creative mission navigates a path that aspires to reach that place where integrity and excitement meet. His world is one where those two concepts are intrinsically tied. Integrity is met and honored in the form of honest raw authenticity. And when it comes to his presence, whether creating independently or as a member of Toto’s ensemble, it is no surprise he’s become a crowd favorite with electric energy that lights up any room or stage.
Atlas shares, “I love to make music that is concise and relatable, regardless of what form or length it takes; that’s always my aim. There has to be deep intention in what I am saying, why, and who I am saying it to. Then every note is potent with meaning and significance. That’s when I am able to carry it energetically into a sonic package that is unmistakable, memorable, and identifiable. In the form of these melodies and lyrics, it is this energy exactly that I hope people think of when they hear the name Dennis Atlas.”
With this new album titled Principle, Atlas reflects, “The spontaneous, and the hyper-critically considered (planned) both meet into one explosive container that is each of the audio files of these 11 songs. I hear months of planning and moments of levity/epiphany both bred into the fabric of what makes this album what it is. It is both exciting and deeply-rooted fulfillment to listen back to these works, and to smile at the good feelings that I have associated with the contributions from everyone involved.”
And that list of contributors is deep, featuring performances from Steve Lukather, Bumblefoot, David Paich, Joseph Williams, Shannon Forrest, Warren Ham, Marco Minnemann, Steve Bonino, and others. The album was mixed by Trev Lukather and mastered by Bumblefoot. The album art and logo design — the work of Sabrina Lau at UnicornCat Artworks.
Atlas grew up in Santa Clarita, California, right next to one of the biggest and best rollercoaster amusement parks in the world, with a loving family (Mom, Dad, and big brother) who taught him everything he carried with him tied to loving life. Like many, he and his brother started a band in their early teens. He was influenced by bands including Styx and Queen, who unapologetically took any stylistic approach to music that authentically excited them, and put it across in a way that millions or billions of the public could sing along to and also dig deeper.
He was encouraged as a young man to be creative, and shares, “I never wavered or remember wanting anything else than to be a rockstar.” As he reflects on the past, he recalls, “I’m glad I had a lot of the failures and successes I had before the Toto call came along. There was so much I learned about preparedness, attitude, and simply the context (perspective) of what choices are out there. I also experienced being at home with no gigs and no money, simply working deeper on my own craft, or even having a temporary loss of motivation, then having to find and discover what excites/excited me again. All of this played a huge part in deeply respecting and truly cherishing the situations I do get the privilege of being involved in, and especially the position I have now.”
Atlas is as well-grounded a young man walking planet Earth as there is. He concludes, “I am so indescribably lucky to have a team and band around me that is not only so great and so legendary, but so supportive of me and what I do. I’ve heard of musicians getting fired from a gig for mentioning their solo material in an interview. Yet, here I am with a whole group of bandmates who all wanted to play on my album. It’s a dream I couldn’t have even dreamed up. So here we go into dreams of as many rollercoasters (and other cool experiences) as we can ride together through the power of this music!”
