Styx
The Complete Wooden Nickel Recordings

STYX’s first four albums for Wooden Nickel imprint – “Styx” (1972), “Styx II” (1973), “The Serpent Is Rising” (1973) and “Man of Miracles” (1974) – presented a blend of straight-ahead melodic Hard-Rock with dramatic Art-Prog-Rock aspirations. The band’s compositions of that period varied from each other but always showcased intricate songwriting, compositional sensibility as well as powerful instrumental and vocal performance. “The Complete Wooden Nickel Recordings” double-disc set contains remastered versions of all four albums for the label. This is a real treasure for those loyalists who were waiting for a proper reissue of the band’s early works and casual connoisseurs hunting for “2-albums-on-1-disc” editions. There isn’t much here that modern listeners will identify with STYX, but lovers of heavy-organ-laden vintage Hard-Rock will be pleased for sure. All in all, it’s an ultimate compilation of the STYX’s formative years, something all too neglected for a long time.