CYCLORAMA

Released in 2003, "Cyclorama" was Styx first release without key founding member Dennis DeYoung. The album however finds Styx treading the water of unchallenging melodic pop rock. It consists entirely of the band's well worn diet of upbeat anthems designed to please the crowds at live gigs, plus "Babe" clone ballads.

"Do things my way" opens the album in Bon Jovi like fashion, with some designer guitar fuelled stadium rock. "Kiss your ass goodbye" has almost rap like verses and a light punk pop feel to the choruses. The melody of the choruses is very similar to "Where you going now" by Damn Yankees but played a little faster. "Fooling yourself" has rougher vocals, giving a Grand Funk Railroad flavour.

Of the softer tracks, "Yes I can" is for me the best track on the album, being a harmonic acoustic number, along the lines of Extreme's surprise hit single "More than words". "These are the times" is slightly more structured, but still ventures little from being pop rock.

The closing track "Genki Desu Ka" has a chanted repeating theme, a bit like a cross between the Doobie Brothers and some of King Crimson's 80's work. Although shown as being a 6 minute piece, the track includes a hidden element which contains a phased reprise of "Kiss your ass goodbye" and a harmonised message to close.

Styx have never been truly progressive band, and have always sat on the edge of this site in terms of their musical style. With "Cyclorama", they played it disappointingly safe by churning out a collection of songs which could have been recorded at pretty much any time in their career. Tracks such as "More love for the money" and "Killing the thing that you love" start out deceptively by hinting that they may be in some way different but all to soon the standard Styx chorus comes in, and reminds us that this is a band who appear to have foregone all ambition and adopted the sole objective of resting on their laurels.

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