One of the reasons why
Dennis DeYoung and the rest of
Styx had a falling out during the late '90s was the singer's desire to move into a more theatrical direction. But theatricality was always a love of
DeYoung's, as evidenced by
Styx's bombastic
Kilroy Was Here presentation, as well as a stage musical production of
The Hunchback of Notre Dame that the singer assembled in 1997.
DeYoung sounds in fine voice throughout the CD version of the presentation (which he released himself), especially on such tracks as the set opener, "Who Will Love This Child." However, upon hearing the fabulously titled "Hey Quasimodo" you can instantly detect why
DeYoung's preferred style was bound to clash with the more hard rock-minded
Tommy Shaw and James Young. That said, if any rock vocalist was made for Broadway-esque material,
DeYoung is the leading candidate, as evidenced throughout the bombastic
The Hunchback of Notre Dame. ~ Greg Prato