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STYX Releases New Studio Album ‘Crash of the Crown,’ First in Four Years


First-ever multiple city tour with Collective Soul

Published on June 26, 2021

A new era of hope, survival, and prosperity is here 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.

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)–released their 17th album today on the band’s label, Alpha Dog 2T/UMe, which is available as clear vinyl, black vinyl, CD, and on digital platforms and at Styxworld.com.

They’ve already released two singles from the new album: the title track which premiered exclusively during Eddie Trunk’s “Trunk Nation” program on SiriusXM Satellite Radio last month, and “Reveries” which dropped June 4.

In early reviews, Vintage Guitar raved, “Returning to their guitar/keyboard-fueled ’70s style, the band takes prog’s grandest elements and condenses them into punchy songs – no question, that classic STYX crunch is present.” While SonicPerspectives.com praised the album’s “…fantastic three part harmonies, widdly, bombastic synths, blue-collar working man electric guitar solos and memorable melodic rock songs that flirt with prog elements just enough to have a little extra edge…This record exudes massive musicianship…The road tested warhorse of STYX shows remarkable resilience and capacity to generate energized new music that retains the proven classic elements of the band’s signature sound and straddles the lines of American prog, arena rock and a little bit of acoustic folk.” While Insite called it, “…a passionately relatable sonic parable, tailor-made for openminded 2021 listeners.”

CRASH OF THE CROWN is the follow-up to STYX’s 16th studio album, THE MISSION (their first in 14 years at the time, which critics called “a masterpiece”) which was released June 16, 2017 on the band’s label, Alpha Dog 2T/UMe. The highly anticipated two-disc reissue of THE MISSION was released on July 27, 2018 via Alpha Dog 2T/UMe, which includes a CD of the original album, as well as a Blu-ray of the album mixed in 5.1 surround sound accompanied by stunning visualizations for each of the album’s 14 songs based on the album artwork. It originally debuted on various Billboard charts, including: #6 Top Rock Albums, #11 Physical Albums, #11 Vinyl Albums, #13 Current Albums, #14 Billboard Top Albums, #16 Retail, #17 Mass Merch/Non-Traditional, #29 Digital Albums, and #45 Billboard 200 (includes catalog and streaming).

In touring news, STYX and COLLECTIVE SOUL are rested, healthy, and ready to hit the road for their first-ever multiple city tour together. STYX had previously announced their return to Las Vegas with a three-night sold-out engagement at The Venetian Theatre inside The Venetian® Resort Las Vegas on September 24, 25, and 26, which will include an exclusive set list and brand-new stage production. Tickets for various cities, as well as exclusive VIP packages from each band, are available now at StyxWorld.com and CollectiveSoul.com.

Check out the band’s itinerary below, with more shows to be announced in the coming weeks on STYXWorld.com:

DATE      

         CITY

                 VENUE

With Collective Soul:

Fri 6/18     

Alpharetta, GA    

Ameris Bank Amphitheatre

Sat 6/19   

Southaven, MS    

Landers Center

Sun 6/20   

Brandon, MS         

Brandon Amphitheatre

Tue 6/22    

Louisville, KY         

Waterfront Park

Thu 6/24     

Lincoln, NE             

Pinewood Bowl Amphitheatre

Fri 6/25        

Bonner Springs, KS  

Providence Medical Center Amphitheatre

Sat 6/26        

Camdenton, MO        

Ozarks Amphitheater

Sun 6/27        

Oklahoma City, OK     

Zoo Amphitheatre

STYX headlining:

Sat 7/3   

Dubuque, IA    

Five Flags Center

Sun 7/4   

O’Fallon, MO    

O’Fallon Heritage & Freedom Fest

Fri 7/9      

Prior Lake, MN  

Lakefront Music Fest

Sat 7/10    

Greenville, WI    

Greenville Lions Park/Catfish Concert

Sun 7/11    

West Fargo, ND  

Red River Valley Fair

Thurs 7/22  

Fort Wayne, IN    

Sweetwater Performance Pavilion

Fri 7/23        

Kettering, OH        

Fraze Pavilion

Sat 7/24  

York, PA                

York Fair (with REO Speedwagon)

Sun 7/25  

Whitehouse Station, NJ

New Jersey Festival of Ballooning

Thu 7/29   

Youngstown, OH   

Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre

Fri 7/30      

Sharpsburg, KY       

Barnyard Amphitheatre

Sat 7/31      

Jim Thorpe, PA         

Penn’s Peak

Thu 8/5        

Clearwater, FL            

Ruth Eckard Hall

Fri 8/6           

Augusta, GA        

The Bell Auditorium

Sat 8/7           

North Charleston, SC 

North Charleston PAC

Sun 8/8   

LaGrange, GA   

Sweetland Amphitheatre

Tue 8/10  

Norfolk, VA        

Chartway Arena

Wed 8/11  

Durham, NC        

Durham PAC

Fri 8/13      

Sylvania, OH        

Centennial Theatre

Sun 8/15     

Lewisburg, WV      

State Fair

Wed 8/18     

Des Moines, IA       

Iowa State Fair

Thu 8/19   

Evansville, IN  

Aiken Theatre

Sat 8/21     

Woodstock, IL   

McHenry County Fairgrounds

Sat 9/4        

Milwaukee, WI    

Summerfest

Wed 9/8       

Phoenix, AZ         

Celebrity Theatre

Thu 9/9         

Phoenix, AZ          

Celebrity Theatre

Sat 9/11         

Brighton, CO          

Adams County Amphitheatre

Tue 9/14  

Salt Lake City, UT  

Utah State Fair (with REO Speedwagon)

Wed 9/22  

Puyallup, WA           

Washington State Fair (with REO Speedwagon)

Fri 9/24      

Las Vegas, NV          

The Venetian Theatre

Sat 9/25      

Las Vegas, NV  

The Venetian Theatre

Sun 9/26      

Las Vegas, NV   

The Venetian Theatre

Fri 10/1         

Atlantic City, NJ   

Tropicana Atlantic City

Sat 10/2         

Waterloo, NY        

The Vine at Del Lago

Fri 10/15   

Lake Charles, LA   

Golden Nugget

Sat 10/16   

Arlington, TX           

The Levitt Pavilion Arlington

Thu 10/21   

Amarillo, TX            

Amarillo Civic Center

Sat 10/23     

Austin, TX                 

Nutty Brown Amphitheatre

Sun 10/24     

Helotes, TX                

John T. Moore’s County Store

Thu 11/18      

Ralston, NE  

Ralston Arena

Fri 11/19         

Salina, KS      

Stiefel Theatre

Sat 11/20         

Springfield, IL  

Sangamon Auditorium

Thu 1/6/22      

Nashville, TN    

Ryman Auditorium

Senior Writer