For their ninth album, Styx laced their parade-ground rock—all synth fanfares and martial snare drums—with sweet pop harmonies. On rockers like “Never Say Never”, Dennis DeYoung’s voice is a friendly coo with a worried edge—particularly desolate in the sweet and twinkly “Babe”—but always salved by those huge silky choruses. Watch out, though: He takes on a demonic sneer in the raucous “Borrowed Time”, ready for Tommy Shaw’s full-bore theatrical prog finale, “Love in the Midnight”.
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