Top tracks — play these first
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Gone Gone Gone Start here — This track encapsulates the album's energetic spirit, featuring catchy hooks and anthemic choruses that evoke classic Styx sensibilities while feeling fresh.
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One Hundred Million Miles From Home — With its introspective lyrics and expansive soundscapes, this song serves as a centerpiece that captures the album's overarching theme of exploration and distance.
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Locomotive — The driving rhythm and powerful instrumentation highlight the band's hard rock roots, making it a standout track that showcases their musical prowess.
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Radio Silence — This track features poignant lyrics about communication and connection, reflecting modern anxieties with a melodic yet hard-hitting arrangement.
Elevation
Our rating, out of 100 — and why.
AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.
The album showcases strong musicianship and a cohesive narrative, appealing to both nostalgia and modern sensibilities.
What we noticed
- The album opens with a 2-minute orchestral overture that sets a thematic tone for the subsequent tracks.
- Several tracks incorporate instrumental interludes that bridge lyrical sections, enhancing the narrative flow.
- Composition 25% of the score
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7/10
- Craft 20% of the score
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8/10
- Durability 25% of the score
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6/10
- Distinctiveness 18% of the score
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7/10
- Sequencing 12% of the score
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8/10
the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics
production, performance, arrangement
whether it rewards returning to it
whether it sounds like itself
running order, pacing, length
Known within its scene. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.
Is this for you?
Good fit if you like
- dynamic journey with narrative peaks
- theatrical themes and storytelling
- wave-like pacing for immersion
- engaging experience for space enthusiasts
Maybe skip if you
- prefer instant gratification tracks
- seek standalone singles only
Where this album fits
- In the catalog
- Late Career Highlight — The album marks a strong return after a long hiatus, showcasing renewed creativity.
- Themes
- space exploration· human connection· theatrical narratives
- Career context
- Released in 2017, The Mission is Styx's first studio album in 14 years, following their previous record Cyclorama from 2003. The album showcases a rejuvenated band dynamic, reflecting both a nostalgia for classic Styx sounds and contemporary influences. This release marked a significant moment in Styx's career as they continued to evolve while appealing to long-time fans.
Tracklist
- 1 Overture 1:23
- 2 Gone Gone Gone Start here 2:07
- 3 One Hundred Million Miles From Home 3:39
- 4 Trouble at the Big Show 2:30
- 5 Locomotive 5:03
- 6 Radio Silence 4:17
- 7 The Greater Good 4:10
- 8 Time May Bend 2:30
- 9 Ten Thousand Ways 1:22
- 10 Red Storm 6:04
- 11 All Systems Stable 0:17
- 12 Khedive 2:04
- 13 The Outpost 3:51
- 14 Mission to Mars 2:43
If this landed
Records by other artists that run on the same instinct.
Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata
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