The theme is in plain sight. Just take a look at the LP cover, which depicts planet Mars, visible in a space vehicle window ? and everything will become clear. It is obvious that the album tells about the first human flight to Mars (that it takes place in 2033 is not so important). During The Mission the flight to and landing on the red planet can be followed quite easily, and doesn?t require reading additional materials, just listen to the lyrics and all the feelings and adventures will be clear. There is no overburdening with unnecessary details, absent are detours onto phantasmagoria and surrealism, everything is so lean and simple it is surprising nobody has thought of it earlier. The Mission is without a doubt a rare example of a successful concept album, one that encourages complete listen through of the record and not individual tracks.
The songs themselves are effective in delivering and creating the required atmosphere, be it exhilaration from the launch (Gone Gone Gone), loneliness in the immense outer space (Radio Silence) or dangers of the red planet (Red Storm). They flow together so convincingly that in terms of cinematic feel and vibrant images the album evokes, it can be favorably compared to the progressive metal classic of Operation Mindcrime. At the same time Styx remained true to themselves without any drastic changes to the sound, like complex time signatures, unorthodox chord progressions or other progressive sophistications to realize their ideas (although, it should be noted it is more guitar-oriented and rock). The songs are still radio friendly, but it is fair to say all of them are of the highest grade. They can be appreciated both individually and within the album context, the latter being more effective way.
In the end, we can only congratulate ourselves with an unexpectedly pleasant surprise from the band, which has not delighted us with something worthy for a long time. The same goes for Styx with an undeniable artistic success this late in the career. Since the space agencies in various countries gaze more and more often towards the Moon and Mars in terms of exploration, The Mission can become a suitable soundtrack for such a large-scale enterprise.
Tracklist for The Mission:
1. Overture
2. Gone Gone Gone
3. Hundred Million Miles
4. Trouble at the Big Show
5. Locomotive
6. Radio Silence
7. The Greater Good
8. Time May Bend
9. Ten Thousand Ways
10. The Red Storm
11. All Systems Stable
12. Khedive
13. The Outpost
14. Mission to Mars
The songs themselves are effective in delivering and creating the required atmosphere, be it exhilaration from the launch (Gone Gone Gone), loneliness in the immense outer space (Radio Silence) or dangers of the red planet (Red Storm). They flow together so convincingly that in terms of cinematic feel and vibrant images the album evokes, it can be favorably compared to the progressive metal classic of Operation Mindcrime. At the same time Styx remained true to themselves without any drastic changes to the sound, like complex time signatures, unorthodox chord progressions or other progressive sophistications to realize their ideas (although, it should be noted it is more guitar-oriented and rock). The songs are still radio friendly, but it is fair to say all of them are of the highest grade. They can be appreciated both individually and within the album context, the latter being more effective way.
In the end, we can only congratulate ourselves with an unexpectedly pleasant surprise from the band, which has not delighted us with something worthy for a long time. The same goes for Styx with an undeniable artistic success this late in the career. Since the space agencies in various countries gaze more and more often towards the Moon and Mars in terms of exploration, The Mission can become a suitable soundtrack for such a large-scale enterprise.
Tracklist for The Mission:
1. Overture
2. Gone Gone Gone
3. Hundred Million Miles
4. Trouble at the Big Show
5. Locomotive
6. Radio Silence
7. The Greater Good
8. Time May Bend
9. Ten Thousand Ways
10. The Red Storm
11. All Systems Stable
12. Khedive
13. The Outpost
14. Mission to Mars