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Thread: New Styx

  1. #201
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    Quote Originally Posted by yamishogun View Post
    And the early reviews are in:

    "I actually know a few people who have heard the entire album, since I work at SiriusXM. I have been told that it really is a classic sounding album and that we shouldn't be let down. " - a guy on the internet

    "THE MISSION is a deep, conceptual, and cinematic epic that offers listeners a thrilling emotional journey — and all 'cast' with impassioned guitar parts and those textured, 'chill-inducing' Styx vocals. Guitarists Tommy Shaw and James Young sound like they're energetic upstarts with something to prove, rather than members of a band with decades of history. This is a truly brilliant soundscape, as well as a tribute to the evocative power of the guitar." — Michael Molenda, Editor-in-Chief, Guitar Player

    "A throwback to the styles of classic Styx records like THE GRAND ILLUSION and PIECES OF EIGHT, THE MISSION is a wonderful mix of knotty, '70s-era progressive rock madness alongside the melodic power pop the band does so well. Todd Sucherman might be the baby of the group, but he's an old soul when it comes to finding the right flavor for the new material—and he's not shy to provide a healthy slab of blazing hand technique, elevating parts to a whole other level of excitement." -- Ilya Stemkovsky, Modern Drummer
    Andrew McNeice - owner and operator of the MelodicRock.com website - posted these comments on his facebook page after his first listen:

    "So it's only 1 run through so far, but my ears tell me the Styx album is just plain silly...Ridiculous. Lyrically and musically... I just wanted an album of "songs". Pomp and chorus. There's a lot of instrumental parts and only a few chorus type songs. It's a story, a narrative, but nothing commercial on there. And WHY do they let James Young sing?"

    That's not his official review and to be fair, Andrew generally comes down on the side of liking more of the melodic rock side of things, but I find he does have a good ear for music.

  2. #202
    Quote Originally Posted by Dan Roth View Post
    Andrew McNeice - owner and operator of the MelodicRock.com website - posted these comments on his facebook page after his first listen:

    "So it's only 1 run through so far, but my ears tell me the Styx album is just plain silly...Ridiculous. Lyrically and musically... I just wanted an album of "songs". Pomp and chorus. There's a lot of instrumental parts and only a few chorus type songs. It's a story, a narrative, but nothing commercial on there. And WHY do they let James Young sing?"

    That's not his official review and to be fair, Andrew generally comes down on the side of liking more of the melodic rock side of things, but I find he does have a good ear for music.

    I remember critical previews for two albums that turned out to be mostly correct. In 2007, an anonymous pre-release reviewer wrote of Rush's Snakes and Arrows that Rush had grown lazy. I liked a third of it but that criticism turned out to be right for me.

    Then the scathing early pre release review of Yes's Heaven and Earth where the Yes fan wrote something like: "There is no excuse for this" before taking that off of Facebook. Also a pretty good assessment.

    When I saw that The Mission had 14 songs at 42 minutes whereas Pieces of Eight has 10 songs at 42 minutes, I assumed there would be several short instrumentals in between 4 and 5 minute songs.

    I have a feeling this will overall get mixed reviews.

  3. #203
    pardon if this has been mentioned already, but I read that the new Styx record was recorded on tape and they used a lot of vintage instruments. Now that's proggy

  4. #204
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dan Roth View Post
    Andrew McNeice - owner and operator of the MelodicRock.com website - posted these comments on his facebook page after his first listen:

    "So it's only 1 run through so far, but my ears tell me the Styx album is just plain silly...Ridiculous. Lyrically and musically... I just wanted an album of "songs". Pomp and chorus. There's a lot of instrumental parts and only a few chorus type songs. It's a story, a narrative, but nothing commercial on there. And WHY do they let James Young sing?"

    That's not his official review and to be fair, Andrew generally comes down on the side of liking more of the melodic rock side of things, but I find he does have a good ear for music.
    Mmm.....not being commercial sounds like a good thing to my ears. His negative review intrigues me more.

  5. #205
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    Quote Originally Posted by SteveSly View Post
    Mmm.....not being commercial sounds like a good thing to my ears. His negative review intrigues me more.
    I was thinking the same thing.

  6. #206
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sputnik View Post
    I was thinking the same thing.
    Me three.

  7. #207
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    Andrew posted some additional remarks:

    "There's some magic in there. I gotta say, whoever mixed this has done a brilliant job.
    And it's possibly the most pompous piece of music since the 70s. There's a few outstanding tracks once you get into it. But too much padding around them. Gowan is all over this. Even feels like his style of writing. Strong 70s feel too."

  8. #208
    I'm actually more intrigued after reading these review excerpts, negative as some of they are. Particularly in regards to how the album is sonically.

  9. #209
    Member Man In The Mountain's Avatar
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    Why do all the "negative reviews" sound like it's something that's really good? What do they want another Paradise Theater?

  10. #210
    I preordered the album on iTunes, and 2 songs are now available ("Gone, Gone, Gone" and "Radio Silence"). They're both decent, straightforward rockers, but they don't remind me too much of 70s Styx yet, except for the nice vocal harmonies.

  11. #211
    Quote Originally Posted by The Crimson King View Post
    I preordered the album on iTunes, and 2 songs are now available ("Gone, Gone, Gone" and "Radio Silence"). They're both decent, straightforward rockers, but they don't remind me too much of 70s Styx yet, except for the nice vocal harmonies.
    Just listened to Radio Silence....Shaw sounds great...cool tune.

  12. #212
    A very favorable track by track review is up:

    It may be too early to call it a masterpiece, but I can safely say that Styx has released one of the best albums in their catalog, and that’s saying a whole lot.

    5. “Locomotive” (5:04)
    One of the more elegant pieces of music on the record, this one starts with Tommy Shaw and his acoustic guitar soaring on top of a keyboard strain. This song has an incredibly atmospheric feel reminiscent of classic Pink Floyd (think “Shine On Crazy Diamond”) thanks to Gowan’s synth and Phillips’ groove heavy, jazzy bassline. There’s even a short “da doo doo da” vocal harmony that harkens back to the sound of the band’s beginnings.

    10. “The Red Storm” (6:04)
    This one is Tommy Shaw’s excellent clean vocals and his equally sharp 12-string in the beginning, but ends up being a progressive, almost “arty” song. This is another song that carries on the Pink Floyd vibe, only adding a “Lucky Man”, ELP-like keyboard sound as well. Look for the song to open up around the 3:30 mark with Sucherman losing his mind on the drumkit, which is a backdrop for a completely punishing guitar solo.



    http://drmusic.org/Styx_-_The_Mission.html

  13. #213
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    I do feel like it might serve them better now pursuing the more progressive side of their sound. It's not like they'd get much airplay/interest if they had gone full-on AOR. Interesting reviews.

  14. #214
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    Quote Originally Posted by yamishogun View Post
    A very favorable track by track review is up:

    It may be too early to call it a masterpiece, but I can safely say that Styx has released one of the best albums in their catalog, and that’s saying a whole lot.


    http://drmusic.org/Styx_-_The_Mission.html
    "Very favorable"indeed. Written by what appears to be an overzealous Styx fanboy. Sheesh. I hope it is as good as he claims.

  15. #215
    Quote Originally Posted by Dan Roth View Post
    "Very favorable"indeed. Written by what appears to be an overzealous Styx fanboy. Sheesh. I hope it is as good as he claims.
    If you haven't listened to it, how would you know he is an "overzealous Styx fan boy"? Does Andrew McNeice writing that: "my ears tell me the Styx album is just plain silly...Ridiculous. Lyrically and musically" mean that he is just a tone deaf curmudgeon who doesn't appreciate current rock?

  16. #216
    A new very positive review:

    "If you have any knowledge of the bands Wooden Nickel era albums you may be struck at how The Mission seems to perfect what the band was doing back in the days before Tommy Shaw joined them and changed Styx’s trajectory forever.

    "To sum all that up, The Mission is not an album of individual songs strung together haphazardly, it’s an album with a logical sequence of songs and a concept that is intriguing and easy to follow. The Mission has elements of early Styx albums like the often maligned The Serpent is Rising and the revered Equinox album that bridged the proggy Wooden Nickel catalogue with the A&M era. In many ways the album refines and perfects the early Styx sound with respect for the group’s early sound and Styx’s Important place in recorded music history.

    "At time The Mission sounds like classic Pink Floyd with hints of Canadian prog greats like Saga or Rush. The Canadian influence may be the result of Lawrence Gowan’s input, whatever the case it works incredibly well because while the album is complex, it is not filled with excess.

    "The Mission is an album that is worthy of many listens, and even after only four times through I have grown to appreciate the album more each listen.

    http://rockshowcritique.com/2017/05/...x-the-mission/

  17. #217
    Member since March 2004 mozo-pg's Avatar
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    ^^^ That's very encouraging. Thanks for posting.

  18. #218
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    Quote Originally Posted by mozo-pg View Post
    ^^^ That's very encouraging. Thanks for posting.
    I agree. I'll buy it if I see it at a store.

  19. #219
    I think "Radio Silence" is a good song with some similarity to "Man in the Wilderness" but with a different atmosphere. There is a three second guitar part that sounds like Rush's "The Main Monkey Business" but since so short, I don't find it distracting.
    Last edited by yamishogun; 05-30-2017 at 10:36 PM.

  20. #220
    And the next review, again positive, from The Prog Report:

    ...The next couple of songs are decent album cuts, one by Shaw and by Young, although both seem to end to soon. The next track, the brooding ballad, “Locomotive”, is a tremendous song that harkens back the band’s classic sound.

    It is at this point that the album really hits another level. The album’s second single and best song, “Radio Silence” presents an element of danger as the lead character runs into some trouble and has a dialogue with mission control. The next track, another ballad “The Greater Good” is where Gowan really shines. This is another album highlight. Then for the second half of the album the band ventures into some progressive rock territory. “Time May Bend” is an intriguing song that segues into the musical interlude “Ten Thousand Ways” before reaching the album’s most progressive track, “The Red Storm.” The album closes with another great trio of songs with the instrumental “Kehdive” the anthemic “The Outpost” and the album finally “Mission to Mars.”

    Some fans might not be sure what to expect, maybe hoping for more radio friendly tracks or, in the reverse, something completely out of left field. But what the band have done here is make a quintessential Styx record. From beginning to end, the album runs like a brilliant movie with great epic moments and captivating urgency.

    http://progreport.com/styx-the-mission-album-review/

  21. #221
    Member since March 2004 mozo-pg's Avatar
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    Does anyone know the release date for the new album?

  22. #222
    Member Gerhard's Avatar
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    June 16, per Amazon.

  23. #223
    Member since March 2004 mozo-pg's Avatar
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    Thanks. I should have checked myself! Now pre-ordered.
    Last edited by mozo-pg; 05-31-2017 at 12:12 PM.

  24. #224
    And another positive review:

    "The concept of the album is space travel with songs like "One Million Miles" and "The Red Storm" you get swept up in the outstanding musicianship that Styx deliver in every piece of music they produce. If this album feels like a nostalgic trip, then you won't want to get off the ride, as songs like "Locomotive" and "The Outpost" are some of the best the band has written in decades."



    http://jpsmusicblog.blogspot.com/2017/06/cd-review-classic-rockers-styx-are-on.html

  25. #225
    Jon Neudorf
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    Cool! Can't wait to to get this.

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