First New Styx Album in 14 Years Out Now
Out today (June 16) is The Mission, the first new studio album from Styx in 14 years. The album’s concept, about the first manned mission to Mars, was conceived by…
NEW ORLEANS, LA – JANUARY 13: (L-R) Bassist Ricky Phillips, guitarist/vocalist James Young and guitarist/vocalist Tommy Shaw of Styx performs at the House of Blues on January 13, 2012 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Skip Bolen/Getty Images)
Photo by Skip Bolen/Getty ImagesOut today (June 16) is The Mission, the first new studio album from Styx in 14 years.
The album's concept, about the first manned mission to Mars, was conceived by the group's Tommy Shaw, who tells us the idea was to craft the kind of album Styx fans would immediately gravitate towards:
"As soon as we got to thinking about a Styx album, what's your favorite era of Styx? To me it's 'The Grand Illusion,' 'Pieces Of Eight.' That was just the prime. Everybody was in the prime...The idea was, 'Let's make this record...make sure it sounds like Styx, the Styx that everybody grew up with, and so that became the margins for it."
Styx recorded The Mission at Blackbird Studios in Nashville, with Shaw's longtime collaborator Will Evankovich co-producing as well as co-writing the tracks.
Styx released two songs, "Gone Gone Gone" and "Radio Silence," prior to "The Mission's" release. The group is touring this summer with REO Speedwagon.
Gary Graff is an award-winning music journalist who not only covers music but has written books on Bob Seger, Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen.
