But guitarist/singer James Young hopes the atmosphere that surrounded the group after finishing its new studio CD, "Cyclorama," is a sign of things to come.

"There was a very similar feeling here to 'Grand Illusion,' " Young says, mentioning the 1977 album that catapulted Styx to arena-headlining stardom.

"(On 'Grand Illusion') there were five guys who both personally and professionally were really on the same page and headed in the same direction all at the same time, and the result was our most successful record and what I think up to this time point is our best record.

"Now on 'Cyclorama' we have a similar thing, where there are five people whose unified purpose is to make, I mean, we're all on the same page, and we're all going in the same direction. And the feeling at the conclusion of all this is very similar."

Of course, that analogy ignores a key difference in the context in which "The Grand Illusion" was released and the situation Styx are in with the February release of "Cyclorama."

In 1975, Styx had added a key new band member in guitarist/ singer Tommy Shaw, and as Young notes even now, "The Grand Illusion" was the album where Shaw became fully integrated as a songwriter (alongside Young and keyboardist/singer Dennis DeYoung). This allowed Styx to hit its peak as a band.

On the other hand, 1999's "Brave New World" -- the first studio CD that Shaw had recorded with Styx since leaving the band in 1984 for a solo career -- found Styx in turmoil and marked the end of the DeYoung-Young-Shaw partnership.

With the current Styx lineup -- Young, Shaw, Lawrence Gowan on keyboards, Glen Burtnik on bass and drummer Todd Sucherman -- in place since 1999, Young says there are no questions about personal chemistry, differing career agendas or musical direction.

Of course, it remains to be seen whether the musical focus and energy of Styx will translate into renewed popularity for the band, which at its peak in 1981 had scored four straight triple platinum albums.

"The most defining thing about our band," Young says, "is our ability to create a unique sound when we sing those powerful harmonies with the guitars and the drums cranking underneath. That is Styx.

"We actually tried to shape all of the songs to begin with in ways where we could have those powerful harmony choruses like that."

Such "Cyclorama" songs as "Do Things My Way" and "Fields of the Brave" put the vocal harmonies front and center, while also recapturing the blend of crunch and melody that had always characterized Styx's rocking material. There's even a hint of the progressive rock influence that figured strongly into Styx's earliest CDs on new songs like "One With Everything" and "These Are The Times."

Elsewhere, the band attempts to inject more of a modern edge into the Styx sound.

"I think in some ways we're not that far from Blink-182 with 'Kiss Your Ass Goodbye.' We're not that far from Creed with 'Waiting For Our Time,' " Young says, mentioning two of the new songs. "We've just added Styx touches to it.

"And I think people are looking for something that sounds, you know, the big harmony choruses are things that if you've been a music fan just starting 10 years ago, you've never heard this. Everything old may be new again."

Young knows the success of "Cyclorama" (which is also notable for guest cameos by Tenacious D, former Beach Boy Brian Wilson and actor Billy Bob Thornton) may be out of the group's control. Young says he's proud of the CD regardless.

"I think we have a chance here to maybe get back to some of the recording artist success we had in our heyday, and we've certainly done our very best and have poured our hearts and souls into this record," Young says. "And I do believe that you can hear that when you listen back to it.

"And if we're meant to have great success, so be it. If not, I have the personal satisfaction of knowing we've made a record that a number of people who I truly respect have said they think this is the best Styx record that was ever made."

WHAT: Styx, Kansas and John Waite

WHEN: 7 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 2

WHERE: Assembly Hall, Champaign

TICKETS: $36.50 and $27.50; TicketMaster outlets and www.ticketmaster.com

ON THE WEB: uofiassemblyhall.com; www.styxworld.com; www.kansasband.com; www.johnwaite.com

James Young and Tommy Shaw brought in producer Ron Nevison to produce tracks they had written for the project. But Dennis DeYoung worked separately on songs he was providing.

Soon, tensions within the band became public. DeYoung, who had been suffering from the Epstein-Barr virus, asked Styx to delay the tour in support of "Brave New World" until fall because of his illness.

The other band members didn't want to wait. Prior to the release of "Brave New World," Styx's career had gotten a shot in the arm when the film "Big Daddy" had featured Styx music and dialog from actor Adam Sandler championing the group.

Citing pressure from their record company to tour during summer 1999 while awareness for Styx was at a peak, the band chose to go on the road, hiring keyboardist/singer Lawrence Gowan as DeYoung's fill-in.

The split became official later in the year, and in 2000, DeYoung filed a lawsuit seeking to claim ownership of the Styx name and bar the group from working under that name.

As the lawsuit loomed, Styx continued to tour and released a pair of live CDs, "Arch Allies Live At Riverport" (which chronicled Styx's 2000 tour with REO Speedwagon) and "Styxworld Live 2001." But the band held off on a studio album while the lawsuit was pending.

Last October, the suit was settled out of court. Young, Shaw and original bassist Chuck Panozzo were granted ownership of the Styx name, and the path was cleared for the new lineup to make a studio debut.

DeYoung's illness and reluctance to tour may have been legitimate factors in the split, but Young makes it clear musical and personal differences contributed strongly to the decision to move on.

DeYoung, who co-founded the band in 1969, had been a focal point of Styx until 1984, when he left to start a solo career.

Young says he still considers DeYoung a talented musician who contributed greatly to the band's success; nevertheless, he admits he was never a fan of tender ballads such as "Babe" and "The Best Of Times" that had become DeYoung's signature.

And even with DeYoung agreeing to form Styx again in 1996 and Shaw rejoining a short time later, Young says the chemistry did not return.

"I had felt it hadn't been the right fit since 1982," Young says. "The way he behaved throughout the '80s, he behaved as if he was never coming back to Styx. If he had succeeded as a solo artist, we'd have never seen him again."