Styx - Circling From Above [180g Black Vinyl LP, Gatefold]

Circling From Above is Styx's 18th studio album, released July 18, 2025, via Alpha Dog 2T/UMe, and the third new studio record the band has delivered in eight years. Produced by guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Will Evankovich, who also helmed their two previous releases before becoming a full-time member in 2022, the album features contributions from all seven current members of the band, including founding guitarist James "JY" Young, Tommy Shaw, original bassist Chuck Panozzo, drummer Todd Sucherman, keyboardist Lawrence Gowan, and bassist Terry Gowan. Spanning 13 tracks and 41 minutes, the album navigates themes of human ambition, technology, and nature, continuing the storytelling ambition that has defined Styx's recent creative run.

The album moves with both urgency and range across its two sides. Lead single "Build and Destroy," sung by Lawrence Gowan, opens the album's sequence with a kinetic energy that established the record's tone immediately on release. "Michigan" and "King of Love" showcase the band's layered vocal blend and melodic instincts, while "Forgive" brings in string arrangements by Stevie Blacke that add orchestral depth to the album's more introspective passages. On Side B, "Blue Eyed Raven" and "The Things That You Said," both featuring Blacke's string work, demonstrate the album's willingness to reach beyond the rock format when the song calls for it. "We Lost the Wheel Again" and closer "Only You Can Decide" bring the record home with the kind of purposeful, anthemic writing that has sustained Styx across more than five decades.

Pressed on 180g black vinyl and released on the band's own Alpha Dog 2T label under license to UMe, Circling From Above arrives in a gatefold jacket with interior artwork and lyrics. The 180g pressing provides a solid, clean listen that suits the album's polished, studio-refined production. For a brand new studio record from a band still actively touring and recording, the gatefold presentation is a welcome upgrade over standard single-sleeve packaging.

• Format: 180g Black Vinyl LP
• Standout Tracks: "Build and Destroy," "Forgive," "Blue Eyed Raven," "The Things That You Said"
• Pressing Details: Gatefold jacket with interior artwork and lyrics; Released on Alpha Dog 2T, Inc. under exclusive license to UMG Recordings, Inc., Printed Inner Sleeve.
• Genre/Style: Progressive Rock, Arena Rock, Hard Rock
• UPC: 602475951131

Circling From Above demonstrates that Styx remain a working band with genuine creative momentum, and the 180g gatefold pressing makes a strong case for owning it on vinyl.

* The Spotify track list may not exactly represent the tracks and audio of this LP edition.

Track List:

Side A:

1. Circling From Above
2. Build And Destroy
3. Michigan
4. King Of Love
5. It's Clear
6. Forgive
   

Side B:

1. Everybody Raise A Glass
2. Blue Eyed Raven
3. She Knows
4. Ease Your Mind
5. The Things That You Said
6. We Lost The Wheel Again
7. Only You Can Decide