You've Got to Give the New Styx Album a Listen!

[bitflipper]

I've long ago let go of mainstream rock and pop music. Or I should say mainstream rock and pop left me. So very little of it holds any appeal anymore and I'm tired of the classics I've heard a thousand times. These days, on most nights when I'm lying in the dark listening on headphones it'll be something from the 19th century on Deutsche Grammophon rather than In the Court of the Crimson King.

So I am absolutely thrilled whenever I find something from this century that scratches the same itch that vintage ELO used to do. That only happens once in a great while. The Foo Fighters' Medicine at Midnight was one recent discovery that made me happy. I'm not even a big fan of that band, but Mr. Grohl and company stretched their vision on that one.

And now there's the new Styx album, Circling From Above, to add to my small collection of modern classics. Always a good band, over the decades those guys have continued to grow while never forgetting the value of a good melody. Virtuoso dueling guitars on top of dreamy synths, and of course their signature fat vocal harmonies. Fell asleep to it last night and woke up with a smile this morning.

 

[bmarlowe]

For me Styx still is a local (Chicago) band. Funny, the track you posted does somehow remind me of my pristine 1969 vinyl copy of "In the Court of the Crimson King" (if one can ever call vinyl pristine). I am a big Greg Lake fan.

Anyway, "21st Century Schizoid Man" does bring someone to mind.

Edited August 7 by bmarlowe

[Base 57]

I really like track 4, "King of Love".

Thanks Bit.

[PhonoBrainer]

Headphones fer sure.

I don't hate this, which is praise in 2025. I loved the hard panning hearken backs.  It's the Uber clean digital soundscape, hosting what would be a grittier vinylescent progfest near-classic had they added the crackle.

I wonder how this would have charted in 1978?  Where's the single??? 🤑  The songs have a wonderful variety to them.

The vocals really hold up, the changes are more inventive, the mix and arrangements have an Alan Parsons quality and clarity. And it's Queen-adjacent in more than one song.

Thanks Bit! It's pretty great. I could see this getting more listens in those moments when I've got too much time on my hands.

[Triangleman]

I've been enjoying it too.  My thought was "this is some over the top bombastic proggy cheese".  Which is exactly how I like my Styx.  

Wouldn't it be great to get a few more songs with Dennis DeYoung, Tommy Shaw and JY all in the studio together with all the animosity and fighting?  They don't have to tour just be all in the same room writing and recording.  

[craigb]

1 hour ago, Triangleman said:

I've been enjoying it too.  My thought was "this is some over the top bombastic proggy cheese".  Which is exactly how I like my Styx.  

Wouldn't it be great to get a few more songs with Dennis DeYoung, Tommy Shaw and JY all in the studio together with all the animosity and fighting?  They don't have to tour just be all in the same room writing and recording.  

I assume you meant to say "without?"

[Old Joad]

I still love Styx, thanks for posting this 🍻

[Nitrate Audio]

I will give it a chance as I am a prog fan and you suggest. But I saw them live a few years ago and they were dreadful. 

[michaelhanson]

I’ve heard nothing about this album, so thank you for sharing.  I’ve become a Tommy Shaw fan over the years, so I’m going to give this a listen. 

[Starship Krupa]

On 8/7/2025 at 6:56 AM, bitflipper said:

I've long ago let go of mainstream rock and pop music.

I'm coming up on my 50th anniversary for that.

I got into Styx when the local "free form" FM station played the hell out of Equinox.

This sounds like a return to that sweet prog bombast, so I must say "domo arigato" for calling our attention to it.

Getting their revenge on Dennis DeYoung by reaching back 50 years and pulling out a success.

[Tony Carpenter]

As a fan of Styx, and of Todd Sucherman and his drumming, I loved it the first time I heard one of the new songs. I too have left a lot of music unheard pretty much since late 80s.