Terra Atlantica is a power metal band from Germany formed in 2014, releasing their debut album ‘A City Once Divine’ in 2017, and their sophomore album ‘Age Of Steam’ in 2020. ‘Beyond The Borders’ is the band’s third album and was released in 2022…
…creating a new world full of magic and adventures, the story taking place two decades after its predecessor ‘Age Of Steam’. Terra Atlantica‘s style of power metal is epic, atmospheric and majestic – emphatically creating a surround sound, and cinematic landscape. Across the album’s eleven songs, there are touches of bands such as Sabaton, Powerwolf, and Gloryhammer – ‘Beyond The Borders’ coming to life with the two-minute tension fuelled instrumental intro ‘Overture’, before the album explodes into life with the fast-paced and highly majestic ‘The Scarlet Banners’. Germany is famed for their power metal heritage, and in the shape of Terra Atlantica, that heritage is very safe indeed. The energy and pizzazz is incredible, the band driving forward with passion and intent.
Not to mention an electrifying fizz! Although, ‘Far From Alive’ takes a more sedate avenue, the strains of power balladry fill the air. So get your lighters out and hold them high as Terra Atlantica stride forth, causing many listeners and most definitely an in-concert crowd, to sway from side to side. The title song ‘Beyond The Borders’ returns the pace and power of the opening song, blending an old-school flavour with rapid-fire riffing to inject some heaviness into the album. The mosh pits are gonna love this one, their heads nodding back and forth in rhythmic unison. With a high energy level pushing the album on, ‘Son Of Pontevedra’ is an infectious and catchy power metal romp. The kind of romp that’ll find you smiling from ear to ear, and raising your clenched fists in the air.
‘Guns And Drums’ is a delightful one-and-a-half-minute instrumental that musically recounts the moment Simon Peter-Gruber invades the Federal Reserve Building in the 1995 action movie Die Hard With A Vengeance (starring Bruce Willis and Jeremy Irons). Terra Atlantica‘s take on the Michael Kamen composition is exactly spot on – my mind wandered way back twenty-five years to when I first saw the movie. Younger listeners and readers – you may have to scour YouTube or your parent’s movie collection to understand what I’m on about! And with a dramatic change in feel, vibe, and tone, ‘Just One Look’ is an emotionally charged ballad, featuring additional vocals from Joan Pabon (Tragedian). Best get your lighters out again and salute a top-shelf ballad. And bloody hell – the speed of ‘Hellfire’ is amazing! Taking off at high velocity and never looking back, ‘Hellfire’ is a rabid power come speed metal tsunami. Nodding heads have just become a blur, as metal heads all around the world take their head banging to the next level.
A touch of swing is blended with the band’s power metal roots, as ‘Pirate Bay’ bounces into view and rocks and rolls like a ship struggling in stormy weather! Terra Atlantica certainly mixing up the metal styles with their third album – ‘Pirate Bay’ even highlighting a little of the pirate metal sound that German legends Running Wild are famous for. At nearly nine minutes in length, ‘The Great Escape’ is the longest song on offer and is an epic in all senses of the word. Featuring a heavy-hitting anthemic stomp, the band move on to a faster tempo and the quicker pace of earlier songs – cramming every style of metal they have in their arsenal into just this one gem of a song. ‘The Great Escape’ is a show-stopping conclusion to the album, but we are treated to what I would happily describe as an encore – the equally show-stopping ‘Take Us Home’. A cinematic crescendo fills the air, with the band’s fan base giving the band a rousing ovation.
Overall, a pace-changing, heart-pounding, adrenaline-racing journey of power metal pomp, ‘Beyond The Borders’ is a cracking album.
TRACKLIST
Overture
The Scarlet Banners
Far From Alive
Beyond The Borders
Son Of Pontevedra
Guns And Drums
Just One Look
Hellfire
Pirate Bay
The Great Escape
Take Us Home
Terra Atlantica: Facebook
Release Year: 2022
Label: Pride & Joy Music
Category: Album
Country: Germany
Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire, and Metal-Roos.
