Circling From Above - (new Styx album)

[ChicagoSTYX]

Video review 7/27/25

https://youtu.be/lGAun6D_dAc?si=VTXwlsTC6uF8bfFT

[ChicagoSTYX]

https://musicgururadio.wordpress.com

Styx ~ Circling From Above
Posted on July 23, 2025 by musicgururadio

The last Styx album was really good. This album may just be better. Most of the songs are written by Tommy Shaw, Lawrence Gowan & Will Evankovich. Songs are sung by most in the band, almost like the old days of the 1970s. This is a tight album, and really good. Very progressive, yet enough pop to hopefully get some radio play. The current line up is James “JY” Young on vocals and guitars, Tommy Shaw on vocals and guitars, Lawrence Gowan on keyboards and vocals, Chuck Panozzo on bass and vocals, Will Evankovich on electric & acoustic guitars, Terry Gowan on bass and vocals, and Todd Sucherman on drums and percussion. This album is excellent!! I give this 5 out of 5 Music Guru stars. Buy this album!!

[ChicagoSTYX]

https://www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=3207773#:~:text=It%20has%20a%20good%20mix,edge%20to%20the%20entire%20thing.

A lot of people consider Styx to be a "Kansas at home" kind of band. And honestly?yeah they kinda are. Ironic since they came out first before Kansas' self-titled debut, but these bands always have been neck and neck with each other in the whole classic American prog ethos. Obviously I am more of a Kansas fan, but I do enjoy some Styx from time to time. And honestly, I sometimes forget they're still going, especially when I heard they made a new studio album this year. They're such an old band, and they're still going strong. You gotta admit they have determination.
And what surprises me a lot is that this is probably their best record since 1978's Pieces of Eight.

Circling from Above takes all the right notes of Crash of the Crown, and refines its qualities to make something much more charming. It has a good mix of flavorful progressive rock moments that feel right at home in their 70s catalog, whilst also showing a clear love for more of their mainstream elements, with a bit more of a pop edge to the entire thing. I honestly think it's a great direction the band is going, and it makes for some really fun music, such as with the almost power pop It's Clear, or the Queen-like Everybody Raise A Glass. A good mix of prog and pop.

I also like how they managed to make the songs definitely progressive rock, whilst keeping them relatively short. Obviously this can be a bit of a double edged sword in my opinion, as I generally prefer the more longer Styx pieces like Movement for the Common Man, or Come Sail Away. You can only do so much when your longest track is three minutes and fifty four seconds.

But I do admire them for making these little bite sized pieces of progressive rock goodness. Admittedly sometimes not even I, someone who consumes prog rock as if it was water, feel like listening to like eight minutes of a very niche genre. Sometimes you just gotta have that 3 minute track that is jam packed with carefully constructed scores.

Honestly I think this record's biggest charm for me is that it just?doesn't feel old. Like Styx is an old band, but where some long lasting legacy prog rock groups like Yes or Premiata Forneria Marconi clearly show their age, I think Styx, at least with this effort, doesn't really share that sentiment. Yeah it sounds like dad rock, but it doesn't really feel like it. Guess to sound fresh, you gotta just sound your best.

While not perfect, I think Circling From Above is a really great effort from this long lasting band. Would I say any of the songs hold a candle to some of their older bangers like The Serpent Is Rising, Blue Collar Man (Long Nights), or Suite Madame Blue? No. But I think this assortment of songs are still charming in their own right. Perhaps in the 21st century, Styx has lost their "Kansas at home" status. Now that status goes to Toto.

Best tracks: Michigan, Everyone Raise a Glass, She Knows, The Things That You Said

Worst track: Ease Your Mind

4 out of 5 stars

[ChicagoSTYX]

https://ultimateclassicrock.com/styx-new-album-interview-2025/

STYX OFFERS POWERFUL TRIBUTE TO THEIR INFLUENCES WITH NEW ALBUM
Matt Wardlaw
Published: August 2, 2025
You can calm down, because the new Styx album, Circling From Above, isn't a concept record about birds -- at least not in the way that you might expect.
But in conversation, the band's guitarist and vocalist Tommy Shaw can certainly fill your ear with some conversation about his love for the things with wings. "I forget not everybody loves birds," he laughs during a conversation with UCR. "I think some people are still afraid of them." LIving in the Nashville area, he paints a good picture of the mornings where he's able to enjoy the sunrise with his wife, Jeanne.
The cacophony of bird sounds draws him outdoors where he records audio of the moment, documenting the different variations of feather symphonies day by day. They spend a lot of money on birdseed. "You know, it’s an expensive venture, but I relate it to the years of buying cocaine. This goes a lot further and it’s a lot better cause," he quips.
The band's 18th studio album takes the listener on a compelling journey. Advance press materials detailed that it was a collection navigating "the complexities of the human experience through the intersecting lenses of technology and nature." The tone of "Build & Destroy," the initial single, certainly plants that seed -- with the music video helping to further illustrate how the two combine.

What is 'Circling From Above' All About, Anyway?
"Nature is ultimately going to win the battle in the end. We already know that. It's a foregone conclusion, but we are determined to impose our will as long as we can as human beings," the group's keyboardist and vocalist Lawrence Gowan explains during a conversation for the UCR Podcast. "Technology is probably the biggest thumbprint we can impose on on our existence here. To my mind, that makes for great progressive rock material to delve into. People will naturally, as I do myself, when I listen to certain records, naturally try to stitch together a concept."
But it's okay to just enjoy it as a collection of songs, too! "The first couple tracks have a thematic relationship, and the rest of it isn't really related to that, necessarily. So it's fine if people think it is, but it's [not really] a [concept record]," guitarist and vocalist Will Evankovich tells UCR during a separate interview. "[2017's] The Mission absolutely was, and that was because we had enough songs and ideas that went together to create a storyline."
"I think there's always a thread of Styx talking about their surroundings and their world, and we adhere to it," he continues. "The one thing we try to do is put hope in there. It's never disparaging -- there's always a silver lining.That always seems to be what we try to do. Sometimes, if lyrics can get a little dark, the three of us, someone will chime in and say, 'We might want to kind of gear it towards hope, you know.' That's what humanity needs. I believe."
Taking stock of their surroundings, Shaw relishes the moments when "real life intrudes," as he puts it, using the bluegrass-tinged "Blue Eyed Raven" as an example. "That's a song about a friend of mine who lived in Indiana. He loves getting lost up in the farm country on those little roads that [are] hard to find on the map," he explains. "It's an experience he had one day and it's very sweet. There's a mandolin on it and a standup bass. It's folky, but it's [also] a bit of a love song. It's not your typical Styx song, it's like a 'Boat on the River' kind of song. I think people will relate to thes.

The Tao of J.Y.
Styx cofounding guitarist James "J.Y." Young gets his licks in too, playing the smooth-talking character in "King of Love." With his unmistakable voice, he details how he'd approach making the world a better place. Evankovich confirms that it's fun to have Young as a muse when writing Styx music. "He's kind of Styx's savior. He's the godfather," the guitarist and songwriter says. "J.Y. is the one that's always watched out for this band. And so lyrically, with "Trouble at the Big Show" [from The Mission] or anything he does, [including "King of Love"], it's directed at his personality, because we love him so much."
He's very authoritative. He knows what he wants and if he's not going to get what he wants, he'll make a stink about it," Evankovich adds, recalling the early days when he was getting to know the legendary Styx member. "Just finding his comfort zone in the beginning was where it was at. Then he started to put some trust into me, and I put trust into him and we forged a great relationship. He's very easy to work with. You just have to speak his language. He's a love child of [Jimi] Hendrix, [Eric] Clapton and Jeff Beck. That's where he comes from -- and I happen to love those guys too."

'Circling From Above Sends Love From Styx to Classic Rock
Circling From Above plays out like a love letter to classic rock, as UCR's Nick DeRiso noted recently. It's fun to spot the intentional nods to their influences, from Queen to the Who and of course, the Beatles. But the album also continues to indulge, without apology, in revisiting the band's progressive rock lean, which means lots of vintage and era-appropriate sounds and instruments.

'Circling From Above' is an Album For All Styx Fans
Gowan also revealed that there's a bit of a science to it all. Styx as we know, has been a number of different things and you'll find those areas represented in certain ways. "There's a faction of fans that are prog rock fans. I put myself in that category," he says. "There's a faction of people that love the band that have a completely pop mentality. They just think of the hits that Styx had long before I was in the band. There was a pop element to it, and then there's a straight down the middle rock and sometimes even a heavy rock element that people love about the band."
"It's not that we're catering to any one of them. It's just that between myself, Will,Tommy, Todd [Sucherman], J.Y., Chuck [Panozzo], and now my brother [Terry Gowan] in the band, you have a myriad of of influences that all want to be kind of represented," he continues. "You can do it the way Yes did it and do Close to the Edge where you have one [piece with contributions from the individual members]. It's funny, because that's really a collection of individual pieces that just happened to sew together so beautifully."

He points to the Beatles as one group who offered important influence, indirectly, thanks to side two of their landmark Abbey Road. "We love that the ideas were short and punchy," he explains. "To me, that's one of the precursors of what progressive rock became, because it's so musically adventurous, jumping all around from classical influence stuff to choral things to, you know, heavy rock stuff to drum solos. It's all in there on side two of Abbey Road -- and we like that approach."

What's Old Can Be New Again
In the end, it's a familiar stew that as Shaw points out, they've been quite good at stirring together for a long time now. "We’re an AOR, album-oriented rock band. So we've had long songs, minor-key songs, big solos, songs with dramatic stuff going on. 'Man in the Wilderness' and things like that," he says. "But we also have songs....you know, we're a rock band that goes off in different directions. 'Boat on the River' is a mandolin song. Even 'Renegade,' I wrote the basic parts of it on piano."
"I’m not a piano player, but in my living room, I had a reel-to-reel four-channel tape recorder," he remembers. "I’d been listening to Tales of Mystery and Imagination by the Alan Parsons Project. [Shaw imitates instrumental section] I had to learn that with my ham-fisted guitar hands. I finally got it and I recorded it on one track. Then, I used the other tracks for three vocal parts. I wrote the words quickly and then recorded it like that. I listened back to it and it was like, 'I think this is good!' I played it for the band and then they started coming up with the arrangements of it. 'Let’s speed it up. Let’s not make it this dirge thing that you’re playing. Let’s rock it up and then let’s put some high Styx vocals in the big parts.' I told Alan Parsons that. 'I feel like I need to confess to you that I kind of ripped off ‘Renegade’ from one of your songs.' He said, 'Paul McCartney says I ripped it off from him.'"
So perhaps that's the "something borrowed" part of their process and Circling From Above certainly also has plenty in the category of "something new" -- witness the clarinet solo on "She Knows" from guest Jeff Coffin (Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Dave Matthews Band) as just one example. Rest assured, if you've been on the Styx path for a while as a fan, as an album, it probably won't leave you blue. But let your ears decide.

[ChicagoSTYX]

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/articles/styx-continue-prog-powered-renaissance-055300338.html

Styx continue their prog-powered renaissance with Circling From Above
James McNair
Sun, August 3, 2025 at 12:53 AM CDT
2 min read

It’s not a bona fide concept LP à la 2017’s The Mission, which imagined a recce to Mars in 2033, but Styx’s 18th album Circling From Above continues the long-running US band’s recent prog-orientated renaissance, as last heard on 2021’s Crash Of The Crown.
Amid a seven-piece line-up with talent to burn, old-hand guitarists James ‘JY’ Young and Tommy Shaw plus founding (and these days part-time) bassist Chuck Panozzo sound galvanised and vital.
Younger co-writers Will Evankovich (guitar, mandolin, vocals) and Lawrence Gowan (piano, synth, Mellotron) prove especially crucial to these hyper-melodic, ingeniously succinct songs.
With Evankovich also acting as producer, drummer Todd Sucherman and Panozzo’s job-sharer Terry Gowan flesh out proceedings on a record ostensibly concerning the ways in which our world’s ever-growing slag heap of obsolete technology can affect us.
The concept may be timely but its execution is a tad on the woolly side – so it’s best to focus on Circling From Above’s inspired, uniformly excellent music.
If there’s initially a Supertramp-circa-The Logical Song-vibe to The Things That You Said, it soon opens out into ELO-ish territory. There’s sometimes a flamboyant rock musical feel, serving as a reminder of Styx’s classic 1981 LP Paradise Theatre.
With the usual surfeit of sublime vocal harmonies, Styx 2025 are anything but a spent force
Elsewhere, Blue-Eyed Raven’s Greek folk elements and The Devil Went Down To Georgia – fiddle courtesy of guest musician Aubrey Haynie – suggests the band’s touchstone is Boat On The River, from their 1979 album Cornerstone.
No Styx LP would be complete without Young hamming it up a tad; and hence he lends his slightly daft Shakespearian baritone to harmonica-imbued rocker King Of Love. As Circling From Above sets out a stall which sounds both vintage and fresh, it’s all part of the fun.
Gowan employs synth tones evocative of blockbuster mid-70s albums such as Crystal Ball and The Grand Illusion, while Shaw and Evankovich trade wonderful guitar solos. With the usual surfeit of sublime vocal harmonies on offer, Styx 2025 are anything but a spent force.
Witness deft, powerful stand-out It’s Clear and Everybody Raise A Glass, the latter an acknowledged nod to 1970s Queen right down to its Freddie Mercury-like piano pomp and lyrical, Brian May-esque solo.
Like recent albums by fellow veterans Jethro Tull or Jon Anderson & The Band Geeks, Circling From Above constitutes a late-period flourish. Not quite the best of times for Styx – but a lot closer to that than one might expect from a band in its sixth decade of existence.

[ChicagoSTYX]

Video review

https://youtu.be/0AF137wTdu8?si=sX4oWDfaBcTgQ8W7

[ChicagoSTYX]

Video for the song Forgive coming this Friday.

https://youtu.be/CLb1X_KqCUg

[ChicagoSTYX]

https://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=25307#:~:text=While%20I%20wish%20there%20was,and%20more%20with%20each%20listen.

Styx: Circling From Above

You might say that Styx are on quite a roll of late. With two recent albums, The Mission and Crash of the Crown striking big with fans and critics alike for their return to more prog-rock roots, they are back yet again with another winner, the subtle concept release Circling From Above.
The title track "Circling From Above" opens, a strong blend of instrumental brilliance and sumptuous vocal harmonies. It's followed by the first single released, "Build and Destroy", which is a terrific song, total prog rock, great keys and vocals from Lawrence, a tasty guitar solo, wonderful vocal harmonies...love it, and it's probably my favorite song on the album. "Michigan" is more of a jangly rocker, lead vocal from Tommy and amazing vocal harmonies from the group on the chorus. While I wish there was more of a heavier guitar presence, it's a wonderfully constructed song, the musical arrangement and vocal harmonies are killer, and I've grown to like it more and more with each listen. JY gives us his lone lead vocal on the album with "King of Love", which also sees Tommy and Lawrence providing backup. It's an upbeat rocker, wild soloing from JY, I just wish it was a little more 'riffy'. Catchy stuff nonetheless. "It's Clear" is a majestic number, Lawrence on the lead vocal, one that turns into a high-energy rocker. I enjoy the little harpsichord parts, and some of the vocal harmonies are like vintage Styx meets Queen. Another one of my favorites here. Next up is "Forgive", with Tommy & Lawrence on the lead vocals, and featuring some mandolin and piano throughout. It's a nice little mellow piece, and the vocals are outstanding.
I get a bit of Queen-meets-The Beatles love on "Everybody Raise a Glass". Lawrence is on playful lead vocal and piano, the rest of the band doing the harmonies, and there's even a cool Brian May- styled guitar solo. "Blue Eyed Raven" is a folky little mandolin-driven piece from Tommy, and sounds like the cousin to "Boat on the River" from Cornerstone. "She Knows" again reminds of The Beatles and Queen, and is a fun little pop number. It's followed by "Ease Your Mind", a brief little piano and vocal piece...not much here, but leads into the next song, which is "The Things That You Said". I really like this one, but again, very vocal-oriented with piano. Tommy and Lawrence going back and forth on the lead vocals, wonderful backing vocal harmonies, an awesome chorus, plus a neat little guitar and synth solo on the back end. Nicely done. "We Lost the Wheel Again" is perhaps my least favorite song here, like a bluesy rock song with electric and acoustic guitars, and I don't really care for Will's vocal on it, but I must say, I've warmed up to it more with recent listens, and it has good energy. The album closes with "Only You Can Decide", and while I normally don't care for mellow tracks to close an album, this little Tommy piece is pretty lovely, including a gorgeous chorus, a tasty guitar solo, and just an overall lush vibe.

There are some masterful vocal harmonies and choruses here...it's a VERY vocal-driven album for the most part. I'm disappointed a tad by the lack of guitar, and I wish more of these songs rocked a little bit more than they do, but, these songs stick in your head instantly, and it's one of those albums that the more you listen to it, the more you discover and learn to love. It's not quite the slam dunk winner that both The Mission and Crash of the Crown are, but it isn't far behind.
4 Stars

[ChicagoSTYX]

https://bluestownmusic.nl/review-styx-circling-from-above/

Styx – Circling From Above
Format: CD – Vinyl LP – Digital / Label: Universal
Release: 2025
Text: Martien Koolen

Ok, all right, I will admit it, Styx have always been one of my musical guilty pleasures indeed. This American melodic AOR/rock band, formed in 1972, “built” around Tommy Shaw (great voice) has at least three milestones album (‘The Grand Illusion,’ ‘Crystal Ball’ and ‘Pieces Of Eight’), which should have a place in every “serious” record collection.
However, I lost sight of Styx as they released rather mediocre albums like ‘Big Bang Theory’ and ‘Cyclorama,’ but four years ago Styx, with a rather different line up, released ‘Crash Of The Crown’ and it was a very good album indeed, proving that Tommy Shaw and Co, can still make some awesome music indeed.
‘Circling From Above’ is Styx’s 18th studio album and it is the first album to feature Terry Gowan (piano, synthesizers) and Will Evankovich (guitar, mandolin) as full-time members. ‘Circling From Above’ features thirteen rather short songs, just like on their previous album, and they could all best be described as rather “mellow” rock songs in the veins of Toto and Journey. It’s Clear is the highlight of the album, as this one is really vintage Styx magic, featuring a great soaring melody and impressive vocals by mister Styx, Tommy Shaw.
Built And Destroy, the lead single of ‘Circling From Above,’ has an extraordinarily strong typical Styx melody, again some classic superb vocals and a rocky guitar solo by James Young. King Of Love is an in-your-face rocker with excellent guitar work while Blue Eyed Raven is “dominated” by acoustic guitars. We Lost The Wheel Again is also 100% rock, while Michigan is a mix of AOR, melodic rock and mainstream rock.
Overall, I would say that ‘Circling From Above’ is another solid Styx album, but if you really want to enjoy Styx at its best then I suggest you listen to songs like Come Sail Away, Crystal Ball, Renegade or Queen Of Spades…..

[ChicagoSTYX]

https://metalfactory.ch/music-reviews/aktuell/lp-cd-reviews/review/styx-circling-from-above

STYX - Circling From Above

STYX have always been known for the fact that they prescribe concepts and enrich them with gripping sounds. This is also the case with "Circling From Above". Is it AOR or rather Hard Rock, what the latest disc offers? The line seems to be very fluid.
The lyrics are roughly about the topic that everything that was once created with love, at some point has to do its service and acknowledge it. This is done, for example, by means of satellites that were launched into space a long time ago. At that time, they were a dream and a future for people who identified with this topic. This once modern technology has long been outdated, is thrown away and now has an unimportant existence between stars and planets.
"We are not like the rest of the creatures that work in the community, like the birds and the bees and all the other things. We do things and then cause waste for ourselves, which in the end harms us" is a quote and statement that makes us think and almost distracts something from the music. Nevertheless, the gentlemen James Young as well as Tommy Shaw and Co. have created the appropriate soundtrack for this thoughtful "theory", which takes the listener on an interesting ride with partly baroque styles and spacious sounds.

Tinu

[ChicagoSTYX]

Official video for the song Forgive from Circling From Above.

https://youtu.be/CLb1X_KqCUg?si=SAWLiDlBQWqUC2gM

[ChicagoSTYX]

New video review by a panel of 3. Very good!

https://www.youtube.com/live/0D2Kl_L197s?si=fBLAIrsu78ymbaTB