Envy of None / Stygian Waves on SDE exclusive blu-ray

Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson’s band announce their second album • Blu-ray exclusive to SDE • Quick pre-order

And now for something completely different. After a recent run of albums by legendary artists (Elton John, The Who, Simple Minds etc.) the SDE Surround Series takes a break from the big name reissues and ventures into less familiar waters for a very exciting new studio album from Envy of None, the new-ish Canadian-American ‘supergroup’ formed by Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson, along with bassist Andy Curran, vocalist Maiah Wynne, and guitarist and keyboardist Alfio Annibalini. The album in question is called Stygian Waves and is their second record following the band’s self-titled debut in 2022.

Why have I chosen to do this? The answer lies in the strength of the music, because the album is truly fantastic and I think you’ll love it! Recorded primarily in Toronto in 2024 and entirely self-produced, Stygian Waves is a moreish delight which combines electronic/synth textures with melodic rock, an occasional sprinkling of eastern influences and the superb breathy vocals of Maiah Wynne. The detailed production is absolutely brilliant (some aspects reminded me of Garbage at their best) and it sounds even better in immersive Dolby Atmos!

The 11-track album includes the epic ‘The Story’, the powerful widescreen pop-rock of ‘Under The Stars’, the insistent and catchy-as-hell ‘Thrill of the Chase’ (which includes a cheeky musical nod to The Beatles’ ‘Day Tripper’) , the yearning ‘Handle With Care’ and the dreamy, hypnotic ‘Raindrops’ with its choppy guitars and delicious keyboard sequences. The two songs that have been made available so far are opener ‘Not Dead Yet’ and ‘That Was Then’. You can preview both songs on this post.

If you’d like to know more about the band, obviously Envy of None marked the first full-band project from guitarist Alex Lifeson since his groundbreaking work with the legendary prog-rock trio Rush. Andy Curran (bass, programming, guitar) was in Canadian hard rock band Coney Hatch (they released three albums in the 80s) and Alfio Annibalini (guitar, keyboards) is also a producer and mixed Stygian Waves. Lead vocalist Maiah Wynne is arguably the star of the album which also features Randy Cooke on drums.

The SDE exclusive blu-ray of Stygian Waves features the album in the following audio streams:

• Dolby Atmos (48/24)
• 5.1 Surround (48/24)
• Hi-res stereo (96/24)

Additionally, it includes four promo videos in HD:

• That Was Then (Video) [03:46]
• Not Dead Yet (Video) [03:29]
• Under The Stars (Video) [04:32]
• Stygian Waves (Video) [03:37]

The Dolby Atmos Mix and 5.1 mixes were created by Alex Gamble and mastered by Justin Gray at Immersive Mastering.

If you love grown-up rock/pop with and edge, full of great tunes and a brilliant layered production, I think you will really enjoy this album. And of course this unique [region-free] SDE blu-ray is a brilliant way to showcase the sound with its immersive Atmos Mix, the 5.1 surround version and hi-res stereo. Not forgetting the visual delights of those videos.

It is available to pre-order from today, direct from the SDE shop using this link or the buttons below, but be aware that this will be limited to just 1,000 units. Stygian Waves is #35 in the SDE Surround Series and comes in the usual clear amaray case packaging, shipping with a free and collectible SDE slipcase.

The album is released on 14 March 2025, via Kscope. A limited edition blue vinyl edition is also available.

Tracklisting

Stygian Waves Envy of None / SDE exclusive blu-ray audio

• • Stygian Waves is featured on the blu-ray in the following audio streams: Dolby Atmos Mix, 5.1 Surround (48/24) and Stereo (96/24)

    1. Not Dead Yet [03:29]
       
    2. The Story [04:41]
       
    3. Under The Stars [04:32]
       
    4. Thrill Of The Chase [03:40]
       
    5. Handle With Care [04:14]
       
    6. That Was Then [03:46]
       
    7. Raindrops [03:33]
    8. New Trip [03:55]
       
    9. Clouds [04:02]
       
    10. The End [03:58]
        
    11. Stygian Waves [03:37]

    HD Promo Videos

    1. That Was Then (Video) [03:46]
    2. Not Dead Yet (Video) [03:29]
    3. Under The Stars (Video) [04:32]
    4. Stygian Waves (Video) [03:37]