Aqua Pulse Records

Aqua Pulse RecordsLongtime Styx drummer Todd Sucherman‘s first-ever solo album, Last Flight Home, gets released this Saturday, May 2, on CD, digitally and via streaming services, while a signed, limited-edition 180-gram vinyl version of the record will be shipped at the end of the month.

The 10-track collection features nine songs co-written by Sucherman, who also contributes lead vocals and, of course, drums to the album.

Todd, who joined Styx in 1995, says that fans expecting complicated drumming to dominate his album might be disappointed with Last Flight Home.

“I’ve always loved singers, lyrics, and melodies,” he notes. “That’s more important than any drum histrionics to me. What’s drum stuff anyway if it’s not paired with music and works in a musical context where you’re choosing the right things to play on a song?”

Sucherman also points out that being the singer on this project led him to simplify his drum parts.

“[T]here were a couple of drum moments I had planned that I thought would be cool from a drummer’s perspective,” he explains. “But when I went to play them, they were wrecking the song. I wound up editing my parts so the song could breathe and live better, rather than using it as a platform to show how clever I am.”

In addition, Todd says he relished the chance to challenge himself by taking on lead vocal duties.

“My respect for all singers has risen exponentially after having gone through this process,” he maintains. “Singing is like juggling a chainsaw, a bowling pin, an egg, and a hot potato in foil.”

You can watch a video for Last Flight Home‘s title track, a soaring ballad about the anticipation of returning from touring, on Sucherman’s official YouTube channel.

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