STYX – Edge Of The Century [Japanese SHM-CD Limited Edition]

Some years ago appeared a great Japanese nine-album cardboard sleeve (mini LP) reissue series of STYX on high quality SHM-CD, a Limited Edition turned out of print soon.
Here’s the very good “Edge Of The Century“, the twelfth studio album by Styx, released in 1990. It was the first (and only) Styx album featuring Glen Burtnik, replacing Tommy Shaw, at that time busy with Damn Yankees. It was also the last album to feature John Panozzo on drums (he would die six years later of gastrointestinal hemorrhaging).
Seven years after breaking up, Styx were back in business, testing the commercial climate for richly arranged harmonies and Melodic Hard Rock tunes.

Indeed, “Edge Of The Century” is not classic Styx, but it’s a superb Melodic Hard Rock / AOR album with the awesome, glossy, polished production of the genre around 1989/91.
Glen Burtnik contributed half of the songs on the album, as seems Burtnik more of less had a solo album in the can when Styx asked him to join their ranks, and he offered up a few of his songs.
The catchy “Love is the Ritual” is one of his penned tracks, a fun, melodic rocker actually released as a single. Also the title track and the fine rocker “World Tonite”. All are goodies.

JY’s bombasting “Homewrecker” rocks just as hard as anything JY has done either by himself or with his fellow Styxers, with a classic ‘1989 sound’. “Not Dead Yet” is driven by a memorable riff, a cover of an obscure Chicago-area rock band, The Bad Examples. It borrows one of the most overused rock ‘n’ roll riffs in existence, but rocks great.
And of course there’s one of my favorite power ballads from the era; the Dennis DeYoung written “Show Me the Way”, which managed to be a Top 5 hit single.

As said, not ‘classic’ Styx sound but a great Melodic Hard Rock album with some AOR on it, in a typical late ’80s / early ’90s fashion: polished melodies and bright production.
All these Styx 9-album Japanese reissue on SHM-CD are out of print, and worth the hunt for a remaining copy.
Highly Recommended

ＵＮＩＶＥＲＳＡＬ ＭＵＳＩＣ ＪＡＰＡＮ ～
| SHM-CD | UICY-93928

01 – Love Is The Ritual
02 – Show Me The Way
03 – Edge Of The Century
04 – Love At First Sight
05 – All In A Day’s Work
06 – Not Dead Yet
07 – World Tonite
08 – Carrie Ann
09 – Homewrecker
10 – Back To Chicago

Dennis DeYoung – keyboards, vocals
Chuck Panozzo – bass
John Panozzo – percussion, drums
James Young – guitar, vocals
Glen Burtnik – guitar, vocals

Try Here:
www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/UICY-93928
.