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Germany's Vanden Plas takes the yawn out of Progressive Metal on their sixth record, offering gripping intros and voice raising choruses housed within tighter structures that belie typically web-weaving self-gratifying intricacies that become difficult to follow without the effectual life sucking constrict. "Nightwalker" has the makings for top pick, led by an insurgent riffing and mighty roar while "Cold Wind" boasts a melodic easy to hold solo amidst a windy backdrop and heavy E-chording-another early highpoint. It's as easy to pick apart Progressive bands, as it is to praise them, the main difference being the quality of the song versus the quantitative instrumentalist leaps. 

Here we've got the best of both worlds, art for art's sake, and musically triumphant works that work within a manageable time frame wielding a widely spread mix of power, might, mellow and majesty-"Scarlet Flower Fields" is a whispery power ballad recalling 1970s Art Rock splendor; "End Of All Days" plucks a few pedals before unearthing a double-bass fury for one of the more structurally diverse pieces; "Phoenix" is the sleeper hit here, studiously clever, in a generally slow, sultry acoustic phase, hurriedly percussive oft and again, harmonically compelling and commercially viable in any other capacity; "Beyond Daylight," the closing title track, ties the pieces together in a ten minute finale encompassing the breadth of their creativity for an unwitting conceptual craft. 

"Beyond Daylight," derived of gazing eyes and wandering spirit, a year removed from "Spirit of Live," waves goodbye to past predilection for a next level leap into new frontiers.