As Styx prepares to sail away on their Brotherhood of Rock Tour with The Kevin Cronin Band and Don Felder, the veteran rockers have shared some exciting news with fans. Styx is set to release its 18th studio album, titled Circling from Above.
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According to a press release, the 13-track collection “navigates the complexities of the human experience through the intersecting lenses of technology and nature.”
Circling from Above will be released via digital formats on July 18, but physical CD and vinyl copies can be purchased now for immediate delivery at StyxWorld.com. In addition, the CD and LP will be sold at all stops of the Brotherhood of Rock Tour. The trek kicks off today (May 28) in Greenville, South Carolina, and runs through an August 24 show in Milwaukee.
Circling from Above features contributions from all seven current Styx members—founding guitarist/singer James “JY” Young, longtime singer/guitarist Tommy Shaw, original bassist Chuck Panozzo, drummer Todd Sucherman, keyboardist/vocalist Lawrence Gowan, guitarist/vocalist Will Evankovich, and new bassist Terry Gowan. Terry Gowan, Lawrence’s brother, joined Styx in 2024 after longtime bassist Ricky Phillips retired from the group.
The album was produced by Evankovich, who also produced Styx’s last two studio efforts—The Mission (2017) and Crash of the Crown (2021). He became an official member of the band in 2022.
All of the songs on the album were written, in varying combinations, by Shaw, Lawrence Gowan, and Evankovich.
About the Lead Single, “Build and Destroy,” and the Album’s Theme
Coinciding with the album announcement, Styx has released the song “Build and Destroy” as the lead single. The track is available now as a digital download and via streaming services. A conceptual AI music video will premiere on May 28 at 3 p.m. ET on the Mellomanic website. It then will be viewable at Styx’s YouTube page starting at 6 p.m. ET.
“Build and Destroy” is a melodic, prog-flavored tune featuring a theme reflecting that of the album itself.
The main concept behind Circling from Above was partly inspired by a conversation the band members had about an app that tracks abandoned satellites. According to the album announcement, the idea helped spark what became “Build and Destroy” and the title track.
“When they were shot up into space, these satellites were somebody’s dream and ambition,” Shaw explained. “They served their purpose and they were cast aside. It’s a wasteland up there, but they were once created with love. We’re all humans, and who’s to say our love project is better than someone else’s?”
According to Evankovich, Circling from Above’s theme also is reflected in the album’s cover art. The cover shows a flock of starlings flying together to form the image of one bird over a rundown satellite dish.
“They’re prevailing and we’re failing,” Evankovich noted. “We’re not like the rest of the creatures that work in stewardship together, like the birds and the bees and all the other things. We do things and then create waste for ourselves that ends up harming us.”
More About the Brotherhood of Rock Tour
As previously reported, the Brotherhood of Rock Tour will feature Styx and former REO Speedwagon frontman Cronin’s band playing full classic albums in their entirety along with a selection of other tunes.
Styx will be playing its multi-platinum 1977 album The Grand Illusion, while Cronin and his group will perform REO Speedwagon’s chart-topping 1980 smash Hi Infidelity.
Circling from Above Track List:
- “Circling from Above”
- “Build and Destroy”
- “Michigan”
- “King of Love”
- “It’s Clear”
- “Forgive”
- “Everyone Raise a Glass”
- “Blue Eyed Raven”
- “She Knows”
- “Ease Your Mind”
- “The Things That You Said”
- “We Lost the Wheel Again”
- “Only You Can Decide”
(Photo by Dale Preston/Getty Images)
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