Atlantis Drive - The record that should have been made back in the day…but never was.

Markus Pfeffer (LAZARUS DREAM, BARNABAS SKY, WINTERLAND) is one of the most creative and hardest working musicians in the melodic (hard) rock scene out there. His new project ATLANTIS DRIVE with the one and only Mark Boals (ex YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, RING OF FIRE) on vocals is like an amazing trip to back in the day but without sounding dusted or old-fashioned in any way. But let’s see what the busy guitarist, songwriter and producer has to say…

How did Atlantis Drive came into being? It’s not the only project you worked on recently…
I always wanted to write an album like this since the eighties actually but wasn’t able to do it back then. I played guitar in a band called Scarlett when I was still at school and we opened for some bigger German bands. And then there was Winterland and some other bands and projects but it took a long while until I dared to create an album like this. Some time ago I was looking for a keyboard player that is able to create such massive eighties-infused sounds and when I finally found Jorris Guilbaud from the French AOR band Heart Line, this project really took off. We more or less wrote seven tracks and then I contacted Mark Boals and he jumped on board right away. Mark wrote the lyrics and some vocal melodies. Everything fell into place. Last but not least, the missing drum duties were taken over by Markus Kullmann to whom I was introduced by a mutual friend. Markus plays with John Diva and the Rockets of Love. Stylistically, for this project, I had for instance albums like Alice Cooper’s “Constrictor“ in mind. The song "United“, though, has got a bit of a different story because it originated from a different project called Dispyria with Zak Stevens.

Is there a song that sums up what the album stands for?
I’d go with „Faith“, the second video single, because it was one of the first songs and it sounds exactly like what the album should sound like. And the last track “Heroes“ is also very important and crucial to the album for me. Mark really nailed the lyrics by paying tribute to lots of our heroes who are no longer with us like Freddie, Janis or Jimi and others. I’m especially pretty proud of this track!

What about unfulfilled dreams musically you personally have? I don’t know, maybe playing these songs live at some point or writing songs for other, probably bigger artists?
So far basically all dreams came more or less true. I can put out records, work with lots of amazing musicians and, most importantly, write songs in the style I love. I couldn’t ask for more, I guess! I have already played live in front of thousands of people when I was still at school. Apart from not getting rich through music many of my personal dreams have come true actually…

My favorite at the moment is “Living For The Moment“. What can you tell me about this song, which is comparatively simple but effective, in particular?
Oh cool! This song is mentioned by many people who have heard the album so far. There is no guitar solo as the keyboards fill in the space pretty well here. Writing such a song is not as easy as it may seem. I have re-arranged “Living For The Moment“ massively in the course of the production.

And then there is the beautiful ballad “Brand New Start“. I suppose there is some kind of authentic background to these touching lyrics, isn’t it?
Yes, there is. It’s about a good friend that I lost. I made short notes on each song before Mark started penning the lyrics and I have to admit that he perfectly picked up my basic idea especially for that song. I didn’t want it to sound too emotional but nevertheless, it should have been different than the rest. And, like I said, Mark perfectly understood my intention and wrote fitting lyrics for it.

I was told the artwork was done by Alex Frey of Devicious?
Yes, that’s true. The logo, though, was designed by a Brazilian artist but the cover art goes back to Alex Frey. The only limitation was that I didn’t want people to be part of the artwork, and no fictional characters foremost. It showcases some of the well-known elements of classic artworks of that era, like the car, the skyline and the neon colors. I think it fits the music very nicely.

I assume you work on something at the moment, too, rather than sitting around for good, right?
Yes, you’re right. We basically got two albums ready with Winterland, one being an album with all originals and one being a cover album with eighties pop songs in rock versions. And then there is another finished album of yet another project plus I’m working on a new Barnabas Sky output at the moment with vocals from American singer David Cagle for instance. I can’t slow down obviously…ha ha ha. Then there is something I can’t talk about at the moment, too. And I wrote the title track for Ritchie Newton’s new album.

Do you sometimes miss working in a band that regularly practices in a rehearsal room and jams in order to write songs, Markus?
I actually never wrote songs that way, even when I was in bands like Scarlett or in the early days of Winterland. So this kind of remote working procedure works absolutely fine for me. You can work on the songs whenever it suits you and not right on the spot when someone else comes up with an idea. Sometimes it’s better to send an idea to someone and let him work on it when it suits that person best. You can’t do that in a rehearsal space. And working in a real studio like in the past always involved problems like the vocalist being sick or something like that. So, I’m doing music for more than thirty-five years now and never wrote that way. Working in such a virtual surrounding with sending files back and forth provides way more freedom and flexibility, I think…

Anything you would like to add, Markus?
I am very proud of this album and people my age might relive part of their youth by listening to it. It’s a true project of passion, it really is! I always wanted to make this album and here it is finally. Although I can imagine working with Mark again, I’m not sure whether there is the chance of another Atlantis Drive record or not because I would be afraid of not reaching that level of quality. But let’s see what happens. You never know…

Martin Stark