That's why STYX remains relevant after all this time, because we're part of the human condition." "Both he and Will have been able to tap into the core elements of the human condition, which is something that's not going to change that much in 50 years - or even 500 years. "I'm constantly amazed at how Tommy's songwriting continues to connect with the social consciousness that spans across generations," marvels Chuck, who plays on "Our Wonderful Lives" and "Lost at Sea," Lawrence's all-too-brief aquatic fever dream. Of all those who made the trek to Nashville, original STYX bassist Chuck Panozzo - who, along with his late twin brother, drummer John Panozzo, formed the initial nucleus of STYX when they began jamming together in their basement on the south side of Chicago in 1961 - is hands down the most effusive about the experience. Safety precautions took precedent for all involved STYX bandmembers and production compatriots with much diligent quarantining and testing required before any one of them could travel to Shaw's tranquility homebase to spread the uniquely ingrained STYX stardust that's been duly sprinkled across the album's cosmically chosen 15 tracks. I also got to use some gear I never thought I'd have the chance to play on a STYX record like Tommy's Hammond B3 organ, my Minimoog, and my Mellotron."Įfforts to record CRASH OF THE CROWN began in earnest at Shaw's home studio in Nashville during the fall of 2019, with Gowan - STYX's criminally minded showman extraordinaire and keyboardist/vocalist since 1999 - in the room together with Shaw and the album's producer, Will Evankovich, as he conjured up the album's first song to be recorded, with cosmetic flourishes that reign over the insistent, yearning call for togetherness, "Common Ground." But the global pandemic that inevitably transformed the way we all wound up living in 2020 changed the course for how many of the band's home-and-away recording sessions ultimately had to set socially distanced sail. The beauty of it is that it's the culmination of all our talents crammed together into one song, ABBEY ROAD-style. "I'm always looking for the one different thing we can do and still have it be STYX," the ever-ebullient Gowan notes, "and that's the song I'm most proud of. Actually, it's the first cut in the band's storied canon to feature three lead vocalists, seeing how it has James "JY" Young unleashed at the starting gate, Tommy Shaw heading up the heroic stacked-vocal middle section, and Lawrence Gowan leading the vocal charge for the final verse. The song "Crash of the Crown" itself breaks some brave new world ground for STYX.
RADIO SILENCE STYX DOWNLOAD
The title track to CRASH OF THE CROWN was released today-premiering exclusively during Eddie Trunk's "Trunk Nation" program on SiriusXM Satellite Radio-and is now available to stream and download with pre-orders on digital platforms.
Fans can pre-order it here and at starting Thursday, May 6. The legendary rockers-James "JY" Young (lead vocals, guitars), Tommy Shaw (lead vocals, guitars), Chuck Panozzo (bass, vocals), Todd Sucherman (drums, percussion), Lawrence Gowan (lead vocals, keyboards) and Ricky Phillips (bass, guitar, vocals)-will release their 17 th album June 18 on the band's label, Alpha Dog 2T/UMe, which will be sold as clear vinyl, black vinyl, CD, and on digital platforms. LOS ANGELES, /PRNewswire/ - A new era of hope, survival, and prosperity comes calling with the release of CRASH OF THE CROWN, STYX's new studio album, which was written pre-pandemic and recorded during the trying times of the pandemic.