19-07-2025, 18:53
STYX ~ Circling From Above
![[Image: 250px-Circling_from_Above.jpg]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4f/Circling_from_Above.jpg/250px-Circling_from_Above.jpg)
Lawrence Gowan and Tommy Shaw share lead vocal duties on this latest offering and it’s an unabashed anthemic rock romp. Nothing new under the sun, admittedly, yet at the same time feelgood and with a nice polish to the whole package – as one might expect from seasoned pros. It’s upbeat all the way, even when tackling more serious subjects – like what the hell we are doing to ourselves and our planet. They are all such hugely experienced artists, masters of their craft, and it translates into the music. The songs are in much the same vein as previous releases, or what you might expect from Styx, so at this stage, when most have departed from the straight ahead no b/s sound, there’s a retro vibe which is not at all unpleasant, IMHO. In fact, I’m drawing parallels with Queen, to my surprise! Neither Gowan nor Shaw have anything remotely resembling Freddie’s stellar vocal ability, but just have a little listen to the harmonies, guitar and piano, and the general style and tone and tell me I’m wrong! The plethora of now ‘vintage’ instruments no doubt has a large role to play as well! Our two lead vocalists have different timbres and modes of delivery, and they complement one another well, I believe. Overall, a happy, uncomplicated listen for me - and really – what more could one ask for!? I like it.
The murmuration is pretty cool too, although we know that AI is probably responsible for that, along with their video for “Build & Destroy” – they’re tackling that subject too, which is honest, at least. Their personnel lineup has changed somewhat over the decades but a few of the original or near original members still show up.
Styx nowadays is:
Tommy Shaw – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, vocals
James Young – electric guitar, vocals
Chuck Panozzo – bass guitar
Todd Sucherman – drums, percussion
Lawrence Gowan – piano, B3 organ, synthesizers, Mellotron, harmonium, vocals
Will Evankovich – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, harmonica, synthesizers, soundscapes, vocals, production, engineering (all tracks); string arrangements (tracks 6, 8, 9, 11)
Terry Gowan – bass guitar, upright bass
There are additional contributors on this album as well and they are (excluding the production team):
Mark Petrocelli – drum technician
Stevie Blacke – strings, string arrangements (6, 8, 9, 11)
Jeff Coffin – clarinet solo (9)
Aubrey Haynie – fiddle solo (8)
"Everybody Raise Your Glass"
"Build & Destroy" ...
Lawrence Gowan and Tommy Shaw share lead vocal duties on this latest offering and it’s an unabashed anthemic rock romp. Nothing new under the sun, admittedly, yet at the same time feelgood and with a nice polish to the whole package – as one might expect from seasoned pros. It’s upbeat all the way, even when tackling more serious subjects – like what the hell we are doing to ourselves and our planet. They are all such hugely experienced artists, masters of their craft, and it translates into the music. The songs are in much the same vein as previous releases, or what you might expect from Styx, so at this stage, when most have departed from the straight ahead no b/s sound, there’s a retro vibe which is not at all unpleasant, IMHO. In fact, I’m drawing parallels with Queen, to my surprise! Neither Gowan nor Shaw have anything remotely resembling Freddie’s stellar vocal ability, but just have a little listen to the harmonies, guitar and piano, and the general style and tone and tell me I’m wrong! The plethora of now ‘vintage’ instruments no doubt has a large role to play as well! Our two lead vocalists have different timbres and modes of delivery, and they complement one another well, I believe. Overall, a happy, uncomplicated listen for me - and really – what more could one ask for!? I like it.
The murmuration is pretty cool too, although we know that AI is probably responsible for that, along with their video for “Build & Destroy” – they’re tackling that subject too, which is honest, at least. Their personnel lineup has changed somewhat over the decades but a few of the original or near original members still show up.
Styx nowadays is:
Tommy Shaw – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, vocals
James Young – electric guitar, vocals
Chuck Panozzo – bass guitar
Todd Sucherman – drums, percussion
Lawrence Gowan – piano, B3 organ, synthesizers, Mellotron, harmonium, vocals
Will Evankovich – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, harmonica, synthesizers, soundscapes, vocals, production, engineering (all tracks); string arrangements (tracks 6, 8, 9, 11)
Terry Gowan – bass guitar, upright bass
There are additional contributors on this album as well and they are (excluding the production team):
Mark Petrocelli – drum technician
Stevie Blacke – strings, string arrangements (6, 8, 9, 11)
Jeff Coffin – clarinet solo (9)
Aubrey Haynie – fiddle solo (8)
"Everybody Raise Your Glass"
"Build & Destroy" ...
"The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us." ~ Bill Watterson