Review Summary: Houston, we are Go for launch
Concept albums are a difficult and sometimes extravagant undertaking. Many artists, especially from the progressive ranks, have attempted this, but more often than not, the results are checkered. For whatever reason, the chosen narrative is usually ambitious – not to say epic in scale – dealing with complex, at times fantastical topics, sometimes even taking place in other worlds. Too seldom, however, are all these ambitions and ideas fully realized. Such albums start with vigor, but eventually begin to deflate toward the end, finishing with scattered, confused songs that are difficult to piece together into a cohesive and clear story. Given all this, it is surprising to see that 12 (or 14, depending on how you count) years after their last album, Styx decided to make a new one – a concept album. And what is even more surprising is that it turned out to be excellent.
Despite the fact that Styx is more famous for its hit singles and standalone cuts, releasing concept albums is not entirely new to them. Over the span of their long career, they produced several LPs (
The Serpent Is Rising,
Paradise Theatre,
Kilroy Was Here) tied to a common theme, though in the end, this approach often resulted in a solid album whose concept was not very noticeable to the eye (or ear). Nevertheless, what is truly surprising here is the simplicity and effectiveness of the concept chosen for their sixteenth record.
The theme is in plain sight. Just take a look at the LP cover, which depicts planet Mars visible through a spacecraft window, and everything becomes clear. It is obvious that the album tells the story of the first human flight to Mars (the fact that it takes place in 2033 is not all that important). Throughout
The Mission, the flight to and landing on the Red Planet can be followed quite easily without requiring any supplementary reading materials; simply listen to the lyrics, and all the feelings and adventures become clear. There is no overburdening with unnecessary details; absent are detours into phantasmagoria and surrealism. Everything is so lean and simple that it’s surprising no one thought of it earlier.
The Mission is, without a doubt, a rare example of a successful concept album – one that encourages listening to the record all the way through rather than cherry-picking individual tracks.
The songs themselves are effective in delivering and creating the required atmosphere, whether it is exhilaration from the launch (
Gone Gone Gone), loneliness in immense outer space (
Radio Silence), or the dangers of the Red Planet (
Red Storm). They flow together so convincingly that, in terms of cinematic feel and vibrant imagery the album evokes, it can be favorably compared to
Queensryche’s progressive metal classic,
Operation Mindcrime. At the same time, Styx remained true to themselves, without any drastic changes to the sound, such as complex time signatures, unorthodox chord progressions, or other progressive sophistications to realize their ideas (although it should be noted that it is more guitar-oriented and rock-driven). The songs are still radio-friendly, but it is fair to say that all of them are of the highest caliber. They can be appreciated both individually and within the context of the album, though the latter is a much more rewarding experience.
In the end, we can only congratulate ourselves on this unexpectedly pleasant surprise from a band that hadn’t delighted us with anything truly worthy for a long time. The same goes for Styx, who achieved an undeniable artistic success this late in their career. As space agencies around the world increasingly turn their sights toward the Moon and Mars for exploration,
The Mission serves as a fitting soundtrack for such a large-scale enterprise.
