STYX: Circling From Above

The new Styx album Circling From Above (the band’s eighteenth studio) is informed by all of the band’s members playing and singing as wonderfully as this iconic American band always has. Those members include founding guitarist/singer James “JY” Young, longtime singer/guitarist Tommy Shaw, original bassist Chuck Panozzo, drummer Todd Sucherman, keyboardist/vocalist Lawrence Gowan, guitarist/vocalist Will Evankovich, and new bassist Terry Gowan, Lawrence’s brother. The tunes here, written mainly by Evankovich, Shaw, and Lawrence Gowan address, as the band’s press says, “…the complexities of the human experience through the intersecting lenses of technology and nature.”

From the swirly lush vocal layered of opener “Circling from Above” to a run-through of further vocal prowess on “Michigan” and JY managing another low wry vocal (as he does on  “Miss America,” and “Snowblind” from the Styx canon) “King of Love” with its wild stompin’ bass and incendiary Sucherman drumming, the beginning of this baker’s dozen sets us on our way wonderfully.

Things get slightly Beatlesque on songs set almost together about mid-way. There’s the sweet “Forgive,” with a magnificent nearly anthemic guitar lead and fantastic, and Lawerence Gowen leading vocally on the poppy piano jumper “Everyone Raise a Glass,” then the acoustic/mandolin flicka of “Blue Eyed Raven” into “She Knows,” complete with strings slices and fun twisty musical interludes. In the few times I saw Styx they included some Beatles covers in their live set; this sound-a-like of the Fab Four doesn’t surprise me.

Acoustic guitar and simple snare open up the second to the last song “We Lost the Wheel Again,” with its obvious lyrics and almost country leading…both acoustic and electric. While “Only You Can Decide,” ends Circling From Above, a more mournful lament, again ‘circling’ if I might be so bold, the same lyrical ethos as we get with lots here. As always, the band sounds fantastic lyrically, and the subtle layering of instruments on this short plotter works very nicely for a big production ender.

Between their constant touring, some recent band member changes, and stepping up as they do here, I’d say we’ll have Styx around for quite a few years more.