The Mission (Styx album)

2017 studio album by Styx

The Mission

Studio album by

Styx

Released| June 16, 2017 (2017-06-16)
Recorded| 2015–2017
Studio| Blackbird Studios, The Shop, 6 Studio Amontillado, Nashville, Tennessee
Genre| Progressive rock
Length| 42:00
Label| UMe
Producer| Will Evankovich
Styx chronology
| Big Bang Theory
(2005)  | The Mission
(2017)  | Crash of the Crown
(2021)

|
|

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [1]
TeamRock| [2]

The Mission is the sixteenth studio album by American rock band Styx, released on June 16, 2017, through UMe.[3] It is the band's first studio album since 2005's Big Bang Theory and their first release of original material since 2003's Cyclorama. The album reached #45 on the Billboard 200, propelled by pre-sales prior to its official release date, but fell off the chart after 2 weeks. In an era with limited album sales, total U.S. Sales were approximately 15,000 copies, a far cry from the band's triple platinum past. Yet, the album did briefly reach the Top 100 in four other countries. The concept album tells the story of a mission to the planet Mars in the year 2033.[3] The album's story was written by Tommy Shaw and Will Evankovich. Evankovich played a significant role, serving as producer and co-writing all but one of the full length tracks.

The album was conceived in 2015 when Tommy Shaw composed the guitar riff that became the record's closing track, "Mission to Mars". The first lines Shaw wrote were "Now we can say it / This is the day / We'll be on our way / On our mission to Mars". The story was then formed around this idea.

Styx announced the album in conjunction with the release of the lead single "Gone Gone Gone", while "Radio Silence" and "Hundred Million Miles from Home" were later made available prior to the album's release. The LP was expanded in 2018 and re-released in 5.1 surround sound (both DTS Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD) on a Blu-ray disc with visualizations for each song as well as a various music videos from the album and a "Making of the Mission" documentary.

## Reception

[edit]

The album was well received by AllMusic's Stephen Erlewine, awarding the release four out of five stars and considered it a return to form for the band. In his qualitative review, he emphasised the strength of the material harkening back to the band's late 70s material and Paradise Theatre album, despite not having Dennis DeYoung as the band's frontman.

## Track listing

[edit]

No.| Title| Writer(s)| Lead vocals| Length

|
|
|
|

1.| "Overture"| Tommy Shaw| Instrumental| 1:23
2.| "Gone Gone Gone"|

* Shaw
* Will Evankovich
* James "JY" Young

| Gowan| 2:07
3.| "Hundred Million Miles from Home"|

* Shaw
* Evankovich

| Shaw| 3:39
4.| "Trouble at the Big Show"|

* Shaw
* Evankovich
* Young

* Shaw
* Young

| 2:30
5.| "Locomotive"|

* Shaw
* Evankovich

| Shaw| 5:03
6.| "Radio Silence"|

* Shaw
* Evankovich
* Lawrence Gowan

| Shaw| 4:17
7.| "The Greater Good"|

* Shaw
* Evankovich
* Gowan

* Shaw
* Gowan

| 4:10
8.| "Time May Bend"|

* Shaw
* Evankovich

| Gowan| 2:30
9.| "Ten Thousand Ways"|

* Shaw
* Gowan
* Young

* Shaw
* Gowan
* Young

| 1:22
10.| "Red Storm"|

* Shaw
* Evankovich

| Shaw| 6:04
11.| "All Systems Stable"|

* Shaw
* Evankovich
* Gowan
* Todd Sucherman

| Shaw| 0:17
12.| "Khedive"|

* Shaw
* Gowan

* Shaw
* Gowan
* Young

| 2:04
13.| "The Outpost"|

* Shaw
* Evankovich
* Gowan

| Gowan| 3:51
14.| "Mission to Mars"| Shaw| Shaw| 2:43
Total length:| 42:00

## Personnel

[edit]

Styx

* Lawrence Gowan – vocals, piano, Hammond B-3 organ, synthesizers
* Tommy Shaw – vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, mandolin
* James "JY" Young – vocals, electric guitars
* Ricky Phillips – bass guitar
* Chuck Panozzo – bass guitar on "Hundred Million Miles from Home"
* Todd Sucherman – drums, percussion, waterphone

Additional personnel

* Will Evankovich – additional synthesizers, guitars, sound effects, production, engineering

Production

* Alan Hertz – engineering
* Sean Badum – engineering
* JR Taylor – additional engineering
* Jim Scott – mixing
* Kevin Dean – assistant mixing engineer
* Derek Sharp – additional editing
* Richard Dudd – mastering
* Todd Gallopo – cover illustration, art direction & design
* Jason Powell – band photography

## Charts

[edit]

Chart (2017)  | Peak
position

|

Canadian Albums (Billboard)[4] | 56
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[5] | 49
Scottish Albums (OCC)[6] | 98
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[7] | 34
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[8] | 10
US Billboard 200[9] | 45
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[10] | 9
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[11] | 22

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Styx - The Mission (2017) album review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine at AllMusic
2. ^ Styx - The Mission (2017) album review by Geoff Barton at TeamRock
3. ^ a b Graff, Gary (April 21, 2017). "Styx Flies to Mars with New Album The Mission: Exclusive Premiere of "Gone Gone Gone" Track". Billboard. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
4. ^ "Styx Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
5. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Styx – The Mission" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
6. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
7. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Styx – The Mission". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
8. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
9. ^ "Styx Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
10. ^ "Styx Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
11. ^ "Styx Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 26, 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* Styx - The Mission (2017) album review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, credits & releases at AllMusic.com
* Styx - The Mission (2017) album releases & credits at Discogs.com
* Styx - The Mission (2017) album to be listened as stream at Spotify.com

* v
* t
* e

Styx

* Chuck Panozzo
* James "J.Y." Young
* Tommy Shaw
* Todd Sucherman
* Lawrence Gowan
* Will Evankovich
* Terry Gowan

* John "J.C." Curulewski
* Dennis DeYoung
* John Panozzo
* Glen Burtnik
* Ricky Phillips

Studio albums|

* Styx
* Styx II
* The Serpent Is Rising
* Man of Miracles
* Equinox
* Crystal Ball
* The Grand Illusion
* Pieces of Eight
* Cornerstone
* Paradise Theatre
* Kilroy Was Here
* Edge of the Century
* Brave New World
* Cyclorama
* Big Bang Theory
* The Mission
* Crash of the Crown
* Circling from Above

Extended plays|

* Regeneration: Volume I
* Regeneration: Volume II

Live albums|

* Caught in the Act
* Return to Paradise
* Arch Allies: Live at Riverport
* Styx World: Live 2001
* At the River's Edge: Live in St. Louis
* 21st Century Live
* One with Everything: Styx and the Contemporary Youth Orchestra

Compilations|

* Best of Styx
* Lady
* Styx - Classics, Volume 15
* Styx Greatest Hits
* Greatest Hits Part 2
* Extended Versions
* Styx Yesterday & Today
* Rockers
* Come Sail Away – The Styx Anthology
* The Complete Wooden Nickel Recordings

Songs|

* "Best Thing"
* "Lies"
* "Lady"
* "You Need Love"
* "Lorelei"
* "Mademoiselle"
* "Crystal Ball"
* "The Grand Illusion"
* "Come Sail Away"
* "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)"
* "Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)"
* "Sing for the Day"
* "Renegade"
* "Babe"
* "Why Me"
* "Boat on the River"
* "Borrowed Time"
* "The Best of Times"
* "Too Much Time on My Hands"
* "Nothing Ever Goes as Planned"
* "Rockin' the Paradise"
* "Snowblind"
* "Mr. Roboto"
* "Don't Let It End"
* "High Time"
* "Music Time" / "Heavy Metal Poisoning"
* "Love Is the Ritual"
* "Show Me the Way"
* "Love at First Sight"
* "Paradise"
* "I Am the Walrus"

Related articles|

* Discography
* Kilroy Was Here

* Category

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

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