Scott's Song by Song #72: Dennis Atlas - Principle
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Welcome to issue #72 of Scott’s Song By Song (#scottssongbysong).For more information about this series, click here:
Today’s album is from Dennis Atlas, who has been a touring member of Toto since 2024 on keyboards and vocals. Prior to Toto, he released an album with a band called Initiator, titled “Ice Garden” in 2019). He is, however, a multi-instrumentalist, playing guitar, bass and even occasional drums, in addition to the keys and vocals on his new solo album “Principle” set to be released this Friday, May 15, 2026. (see links below). The album was mixed by Trev Lukather, son of Dennis’ legendary Toto bandmate Steve Lukather (his mother is Marie Currie of Runaway’s fame), and mastered by Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, who has been mentioned on this blog in my spotlight article on Sons of Apollo as he was their guitarist (see the labels menu to find that article). Some other notable names you might recognize also contribute to the album such as the aforementioned Steve Lukather plus David Paich, Joseph Williams, Warren Ham, and Shannon Forrest all of Toto, keyboardist and dynamic showman, Greg Phillinganes (former Eric Clapton and on again, progger Steve Bonino (Steve Bonino Project), and drummer extraordinaire Marco Minneman. Bumblefoot and Trev Lukather (a fine musician in his own right) also play on the album. To say that this album has an all-star cast is an understatement!
This album comes courtesy of Anne Claire and Bad Dog Promotions. As always, I receive no additional compensation and can “call it like I hear it”. Also, as is my usual method, this is a cold listen. I will list the line-up for each track as I go.
Track 1 - Surprises from Within (1:18)
Music: Dennis Atlas
Marco Minnemann - Drums
Steve Bonino - Bass
D. Atlas - Guitar, Keyboards
This seems to be a short introduction featuring his keyboard work at the beginning, then switching to guitar then back to keys. The tempo is fast and hi-energy. Minneman’s drumbeat truly propels the track.
Track 2 - Violent Power (4:10)
Music / Lyrics: D. Atlas and S. Bonino
M. Minnemann - Drums
D. Atlas - Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Keyboard
Marco kicks this rocker off. The guitar riffs remind me of Joe Satriani’s tunes. Atlas’ voice is clean and powerful with a high range. I am getting 80s AOR vibes here. Holy crap! That keyboard solo! I can see why Toto hired him. I believe the meters do change here and there, or at least there are some very syncopated accents. Excellent sustained vocal note around 3:40! The keyboard playing alone is a definite reason to check this dynamic track out. Well done.
Track 3 - Scare Me (3:46)
Music / Lyrics: D. Atlas
Steve Lukather - Guitar Solo
D. Atlas - Vocals, Drums, Guitar, Bass, Keyboards
So Atlas handles everything but the guitar solo, but when you are a bandmate with Steve Lukather, you can let him have the guitar solo! Nice riff to start us off, blending guitar and keys. The verse has a very syncopated rhythm. Damn, he’s a hell of a drummer, too! He seems to have boundless energy in his songs. There is a mellower bridge around 1:45. Then the Steve Lukather solo takes over, and it’s everything you’d expect from the master guitarist. Nice layering of instrumental parts as the song reaches its conclusion. Awesome track!
Track 4 - Games (4:13)
Music / Lyrics: D. Atlas
Shannon Forrest - Drums
Bumblefoot - Guitar Solo
David Paich - Additional Keyboards
Joseph Williams - Joe’s Lows™
D. Atlas - Vocals, Keyboards, Guitar, Bass
This one is close to being a Toto track! This one has an 80s techno groove with synth sequences and low pitched processed vocals; it must be “Joe’s Lows™”, lol. At around 1:15 Atlas starts singing in his regular register. It gets a little heavier here and there. Bumblefoot’s guitar solo is strong, of course. Pretty cool track; sounds like it could be a refugee from an 80s action movie.
Track 5 - Instincts (4:34)
Music / Lyrics: D. Atlas
S. Forrest - Drums
Trev Lukather - Guitar
D. Paich - Additional Keyboards
D. Atlas - Vocals, Keyboards, Bass, Additional Guitar
This begins with a proggy keyboard riff backed by the band. The meter is hard to pin down; 7-4 I think. The choruses are in a straight 4-4, which provides contrasts to the odd-meter verses. This is the proggiest one on the album, so far. I love the energy of this track. Nice synth solo, based on the riff as the song ends. Great track.
Track 6 - Different World (4:59)
Music / Lyrics: D. Atlas
D. Atlas - Vocal, Piano
So, we have just piano and vocal here; a true solo piece. It is a ballad, as I suspected. This track, however, shows us what his voice can do without all the bells and whistles. I must say I am impressed by his range and the purity of his voice. It is a beautiful ballad. Well done.
Track 7 - Relative Fiction (3:30)
Music / Lyrics: D. Atlas and S. Bonino
S. Forrest - Drums
S. Bonino - Acoustic Guitar
D. Atlas - Vocals, Electric Guitar, Bass, Keyboards
The 80s vibes return here. It’s up-tempo and synth oriented. There is a cool drum break from Shannon Forrest at around 2 minutes. This could have fit on a Duran Duran album or something similar. Kind of retro/new wave. Pretty good track, but it didn’t blow me away.
Track 8 - Candy on Mars (2:39)
Music: D. Atlas and S. Lukather
S. Forrest - Drums
S. Lukather - Guitar
D. Atlas - Bass, Keyboards, Additional Guitar
So, Steve Lukather is back on this relatively short track. Killer bass & drum intro. Kinda weird keyboards around 45 seconds. They come back later. The bass is the star of the show. I’m wondering if this is some sort of guitar synth instead of keyboards, as there isn’t much guitar in it, except for the closing riff of the song. Interesting little instrumental.
Track 9 - When the Monster Attacks (5:24)
Music / Lyrics: D. Atlas
S. Forrest - Drums
D. Atlas - Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Keyboards
So Dennis does everything but drums here. There is a keyboard intro then the vocals join in quietly. But then things explode just before the 30 second mark. Very cool transitional parts between verses. Then there is a really interesting brief instrumental bit. There are several big dynamic shifts in the song. A very interesting, unconventional song.
Track 10 - Save It For Tomorrow (5:26)
Music / Lyrics: D. Atlas
S. Forrest - Drums
Warren Ham - Saxophone, Shaker
Greg Phillinganes - Additional Keyboards
D. Atlas - Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Keyboards
A quick drum fill brings us into this odd meter jazz-fusion style song. Things straighten out for the chorus. I love the staccato section after the first chorus. That is followed by a double time bit. The guitar and bass riffs are fantastic. As it has been throughout the album, Atlas’ voice is great. Next up is a swing section. Warren Ham gives us a nice sax solo. The guitar/bass riff follows. This is probably the most complex track on the album so far. So many different styles are represented. Awesome track!
Track 11 - We Can Be the Future (7:49)
Music / Lyrics: D. Atlas
S. Bonino - Bass
D. Paich - Additional Keyboards
Roger Atlas - Additional Guitar
D. Atlas - Vocals, Drums, Guitar, Keyboards
He saved the longest one for last, but is it the best? We shall see. The vocals and instruments begin together. Nice change of feel for the chorus. I like the build up at 1:45 before the second verse. Great vocal harmonies here! I love the piano and drums at around 3 minutes (of course he plays them both) BTW I am not sure who Roger Atlas is, but I am guessing it's his brother (please correct me if I’m wrong). Steve Bonino has a cool bass part in there. Amazing instrumental section in the middle of the song. His vocals are spot on. Terrific stacked guitars around 6:25. Wow, this is an extravaganza of a song! The climbing vocal harmonies before the quieter concluding section were spectacular. Then we get some classical piano flourishes before the final punctuation. To answer my earlier question… Yes, yes he did save the best song for last.
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:
Some guys are just absolutely gifted with musical talent, and Dennis Atlas is one of them! Every instrument he plays on the album is done just perfectly, and his voice is amazing. As a musician myself, sometimes it just makes me drop my jaw and go “how can it be fair that one person is so good at so many instruments and can sing his ass off too?”. Additionally, he seems to be very high-energy based on his music. It's hard to listen to it and not get drawn in. That said, there were a couple of tracks in the middle that didn’t get me quite as strongly…they weren't bad, but maybe a touch below the rest of the album. I give it a 4.5 out of 5 stars or 90%. See below for ordering info and Links for Listening.
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Prog On!
Scott
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LINKS FOR LISTENING AND BUYING:
There are three songs/music videos out on YouTube:
“Violent Power”
“Different World”
“Games”
And it can be purchased on his website on CD or Vinyl (T-Shirts available, too):
Streaming:
Apple Music/iTunes: https://music.apple.com/us/album/principle/1873085177
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