Styx have released the new video below, featuring an acoustic performance of their new single, “Build And Destroy”, live from Nashville:
“Build And Destroy” is featured on Styx’ forthcoming new album, Circling From Above. Watch the official music video, as well as the official lyric video, further down this page.
Creating and recording new music is often considered the lifeblood of any band – an ethos AOR torchbearers Styx continue to embody with the release of Circling From Above, the 18th studio album in their formidable catalog via the band’s label, Alpha Dog 2T/UMe. Spanning 13 tracks, the album navigates the complexities of the human experience through the intersecting lenses of technology and nature.
Styx made the exclusive announcement on TalkShop.live, where a limited number of autographed CDs can be ordered now for immediate delivery. Tommy Shaw, Lawrence Gowan and Will Evankovich participated in a live interview with host Steve Harkins, which can be viewed now.
While the album won’t be available on streaming or digital outlets until July 18, Circling From Above CDs and vinyl copies are also available to purchase now on StyxWorld.com for immediate delivery. They will also be available at every show of this summer’s “Brotherhood Of Rock” tour with The Kevin Cronin Band and special guest Don Felder (a former lead guitarist of the Eagles) in Greenville, SC at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
Circling From Above features contributions from all seven members of the band, including founding guitarist/vocalist James “JY” Young (affectionately known as “The Godfather of Styx”), guitarist/vocalist Tommy Shaw, original bassist Chuck Panozzo, longtime drummer Todd Sucherman, keyboardist/vocalist Lawrence Gowan, guitarist/vocalist Will Evankovich and bassist Terry Gowan.
The kinetic energy of lead single “Build And Destroy” is the first introduction of new music to their fans who’ve been circling around the band for over 50 years. It’s available to stream and download on all digital outlets. The thrilling AI conceptual video was directed by Jay Ziebarth.
“That little melody, I kept singing ‘Build And Destroy,’” explains singer/keyboardist Lawrence Gowan, who takes the lead vocal. “Even though we don’t sing over that part, I kept thinking that would be a good title. It’s thematic. The melody feels like a little ‘Star Trek’ or ‘Twilight Zone’ thing — just a small tag that reinforces the title.”
Shaw and Evankovich jumped in to flesh out the verses and finalize the lyrics, and the song came together in just a day and a half. “We knew it was strong,” Gowan says. “Even though it was the second-to-last song we finished, it felt like a quick way into the album’s overall theme.”
Circling From Above is a dynamic collection that reflects the full emotional and stylistic range of the Styx canon. It’s muscular yet introspective, theatrical in moments and layered in sincerity at others — balancing progressive leanings with deeper, thought-provoking messages.
“When you start writing an album, there’s generally something that piques your imagination, and all of a sudden, you’re a storyteller starting with the seed of a story,” says Shaw. “A good song is like a straight road — it’ll get you to the next place.”
The album, the band’s third in eight years, delivers a 41-minute, end-to-end listening experience that is both thought-provoking and exhilarating. A masterclass in storytelling, it blends signature Styx hallmarks with bold steps forward — building on the creative momentum of recent releases The Mission (2017) and Crash Of The Crown (2021).
The album was produced by Evankovich, who also helmed the band’s previous two records before becoming an official member in 2022. All 13 songs were penned in various combinations by the band’s songwriting triumvirate of Shaw, Evankovich and Lawrence Gowan. Referencing the trio’s creative spark, Lawrence Gowan says it’s not a simple case of majority rules but rather a true collaborative endeavor.
“I’ve noticed over the last three records, there’s a real effort to make sure everyone’s got a smile on their face at the end of it,” he says. “There’s creative friction, but everybody gets a go around the table and we all get a swing at the tree. And that’s really, really good.”
“It’s a strange three-way democracy for sure,” Evankovich says. “We all know that the institution of Styx is the most important thing.”
Midway through writing the album, a loose theme began to orbit the band’s creative process — a gravitational pull, if you will, guiding them down the straight road Shaw describes. In a moment of studio serendipity, talk turned to an app that tracks abandoned satellites, those silent relics of once-lofty ambition. From that spark, the opening tracks — including the title cut and “Build And Destroy” — took shape, tracing the tension between human ingenuity and the dreams we sometimes discard in its pursuit.
“When they were shot up into space, these satellites were somebody’s dream and ambition,” says Shaw of the once-cutting-edge technology now floating aimlessly through the atmosphere. “They served their purpose and they were cast aside. It’s a wasteland up there, but they were once created with love. We’re all humans, and who’s to say our love project is better than someone else’s?”
Look closely at the album cover art and you will see this thematic overture take flight. Thousands of starlings — chosen specifically for their supreme ability to work in concert together with their flight patterns — in the shape of one bird, soaring over a dilapidated satellite dish.
“They’re prevailing and we’re failing,” notes Evankovich of the cover. “We’re not like the rest of the creatures that work in stewardship together, like the birds and the bees and all the other things. We do things and then create waste for ourselves that ends up harming us.”
Circling From Above tracklisting:
“Circling From Above”
“Build And Destroy”
“Michigan”
“King Of Love”
“It’s Clear”
“Forgive”
“Everyone Raise A Glass”
“Blue Eyed Raven”
“She Knows”
“Ease Your Mind”
“The Things That You Said”
“We Lost The Wheel Again”
“Only You Can Decide”
“Build And Destroy” video:
Styx has remained a touring juggernaut for the past 25 years, but according to guitarist/vocalist Tommy Shaw, the band’s current streak of artistic resurgence in the studio is due to multiple factors tethered to a deep sense of harmony.
“There’s just a lot of positive flow right now,” says Shaw. “There’s a lot of people playing great, and there’s a lot of love, respect and excitement about each other’s talents. Bands can go lifetimes and never have this kind of rapport and chemistry.”
Earlier this year, Styx and Kevin Cronin, the iconic voice and writer behind REO Speedwagon’s greatest hits, wrapped up hugely successful sold-out residencies at The Venetian Theatre. For the first time in their 50-plus-year career in Las Vegas, NV, Styx performed 1977’s The Grand Illusion in its entirety, while REO Speedwagon performed 1980’s Hi Infidelity in its entirety. Due to the overwhelming response from both residencies, Styx and The Kevin Cronin Band are bringing these special album shows for the first time, plus their hits, to the amphitheaters and arenas as part of the “Brotherhood Of Rock” tour.
It wouldn’t be summer without a live celebration of some of the greatest rock anthems of all time from each of these multi-Platinum albums, including “Come Sail Away,” “Keep On Loving You,” “Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man),” “Take It On The Run,” along with “Hotel California” and other classics by the Eagles. The official trailer for the “Brotherhood of Rock” tour can be seen below.
Tickets for the trek, produced by Live Nation, are on sale now on LiveNation.com. Styx and The Kevin Cronin Band are also offering VIP packages via their own StyxWorld.com and KevinCronin.com websites, as well as on LiveNation.com.
(Bravewords)
