THE SERPENT IS RISING

Styx is in a relatively thin vein of prog bands that share elements with hair metal, glam bands, and pop. With painfully high vocals, screeching instruments, and simply dreary music, Styx' The Serpent Is Rising ranks as one of their most prolific outputs. I would - without a doubt - consider this to be the finest of the Wooden Nickel era (which isn't saying a whole lot). It's really a silly album, from a really silly band. Nothing on it is meaningful, at all. The title track is very good, very catchy, energizing and dynamic. The remainder of the album, unfortunately, amounts to squat. It's simply trivial sounds, as I said, that carry no importance or significance.

(Some trivia for you: The sound that plays during the THX add in movies was taken by George Lucas from Krakatoa.)