REVIEW: Styx – The Mission (2017)

STYX – The Mission (2017 Universal)

Did anyone in 2017 expect Styx to come out with one of the best albums of the year?  Even though Styx have successfully carried on with Lawrence (But You Can Call Me Larry) Gowan on keys and vocals, nobody really predicted this!  Yet here it is:  The Mission, surely one of the best albums of the year so far,* and the best Styx in decades.

Here’s another unexpected twist:  The Mission is a concept album about colonizing Mars!  It has a coherent story and recurring hooks.  In many ways The Mission sounds like a lost album from Styx’s progressive rock heyday.  But you wouldn’t guess that if you only heard the Gowan-sung lead single “Gone Gone Gone”.  Although it’s about a rocket launch, you might not catch that on first listen.  The year is 2033.  “Light it up, let’s get this show on the road!”  This hard rocker came out of nowhere as one of the big surprises this summer.

“Hundred Million Miles From Home” (vocals by Tommy Shaw) has a funkier 70s groove.**  When the band harmonizes together, it sounds like vintage Styx.   “Hundred Million Miles” is a great song and also fairly accurate.  Mars was 100 million miles away from Earth as recently as the 2012 opposition.  Problems happen on “Trouble at the Big Show” (vocals by James “JY” Young), a slower groove with killer bluesy guitar work.  This moves into the ballad “Locomotive”, about the brave pilot of the ship Khedive.  Shaw pours passion into it, as he does the next one “Radio Silence”.  Just as interesting as the actual music is the spacey backing sounds.  It certainly adds atmosphere to an excellent vintage sounding song.  “Radio Silence” recalls some of Shaw’s 70s hits like “Boat on a River” at times.

Gowan returns to the microphone on the lovely piano ballad “The Greater Good”.  It sounds like quintessential Styx; hit quality material with soul.  Things start to get upbeat again on “Time May Bend” (another Gowan vocal).  If you’re not familiar with Lawrence Gowan, he is not a Dennis DeYoung clone, sounding closer to Steve Hogarth of Marillion.  (He even looks a little like “H”.)  Listen for a subtle musical “S.O.S.” signal in the backing track.

There are musical segues and radio voices between some tracks, but  “Red Storm” is the next full song. It’s a very progressive song with all the trimmings.  It’s based on Tommy Shaw’s excellent acoustic work, and it paints a picture.  The crew of the Khedive must brave a dust storm on the surface of Mars.  “Carry what you can, there’s no turning back, gonna make it to the mothership.”  There are avante-garde flashes of guitar noise that emulates the squeals of a radio, or perhaps metal on metal.  Then a rocking riff and solo…”Red Storm” has it all.

Gowan absolutely proves his mettle on the piano opus “Khedive”.  The blur of piano recalls classical compositions, and the guitar solo is pure Queen.  The minimal vocals continue the story:  “Onwards!  Onwards!”  Then we revisit the sounds of the 80s on “The Outpost”, the triumphant conclusion to the story.  The 80s synth and beats remind of the classic “Mr. Roboto” period of Styx, but it rocks solidly too.  Listen for a reprise of the “Overture” music from the start for the album.  Finally “Mission to Mars” is the denouement, a bright and lively end.

The Mission is brilliant for a number of reasons.  First and foremost — great songs.  You will play The Mission over and over, simply because it has great songs, as good as the days of old.  Second, although Lawrence Gowan has his stamp all over the album, it sounds like Styx and nobody else.  Having Gowan more involved is a good thing.  He has a 40 year career in Canada, and he didn’t have enough time on the Cyclorama (2003) album.  But this sounds way more like Styx than Cyclorama did.  Finally, this album is loaded with incredible playing by all the members.  This is easily the best lineup Styx have had since Kilroy Was Here (1983).***    Fans of the guitar (both electric and acoustic) will find many moments of musical ecstasy.

For Styx, this is mission accomplished!

5/5 stars

* One of the best album covers too.  Is that a port hole, or a turntable?  You decide.  

** Bassist Chuck Panozzo plays the funky bass on “Hundred Million Miles From Home”, his only appearance.  Chuck, the other original member besides JY, is only able to make sporadic appearances with Styx due to his battle with AIDS.  Ricky Phillips plays the rest of the bass parts, meaning Styx have two official bassists!

*** Lawrence Gowan (piano/vocals), Tommy Shaw (guitar/vocals), James “JY” Young (guitar/vocals), Todd Sucherman (drums), Ricky Phillips & Chuck Panozzo (bass)

37 comments

    1. All I can say is, if you think that sounds like Styx, you ain’t heard nothing yet. There’s stuff on here that brings me back to Equinox, Pieces of Eight, all that amazing stuff from the past. There is absolutely zero pandering to modern trends here!

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  2. Great review. I have listened to it several times and couldn’t agree more about how great it is and how much it does sound like old Styx. I didn’t know what to expect, but this was way above that. To have Cheap Trick and Styx release such great albums, it has been a very surprising and well worth the wait.

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        3. Me too! That’s what makes me able to listen to it so many times and get more out of it! There is something to be said for a short album. One is that you can go right back to the start again like the old days.

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        4. Exactly…It’s nice for bands just to put out an short album on the other hand its cool that COOP put all those extras on as well…
          good balance

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        5. What the Coop did is kind of neat too. There is a clearly “the album” and then the “bonus stuff” and if you don’t need to hear the extra songs all the time you can just listen to the Paranormal CD.

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  5. Spot on review! I have been playing the hell out of this album since it came out. I usually can’t even make it through a whole CD these days but this is like a time machine. I still miss Dennis DeYoung but this is an amazing accomplishment.

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    1. Hey Randy! I immersed myself in this disc before reviewing, and I’m still finding myself immersed with it days later. In the car, on repeat. I just finished yet another full spin this morning.

      I miss Dennis too. We had front row seats to see him when he was coming to town a few years ago but sadly had cancelled. Would still love to see Dennis live. He’s a unique talent of his own. There’s nobody in the rock world like Dennis.

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  6. I often see Styx albums when I’m flicking through the racks at the Record Fayre, but have to be honest and say I just flick right by them. I’m digging your enthusiasm!

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  9. I preordered it on clear vinyl. Very happy with this release. For someone that asked about if there are elements of Grand Illusion, it is evident on the opening track. I made a short video of “Overture” here

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  11. Since you mentioned Gone Gone Gone I have downloaded the entire album and listened to it several times. Solid recommendation. I didn’t even know Gowan was in this band. I guess I better stop teasing Sarca for listening to him…. nah…

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    1. Well I am not one to tell you to stop teasing Sarca for anything. And I’m also not one to encourage teasing Sarca. But I also don’t want to influence the status quo of teasing. So stick with it :)

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