Beyond Daylight [Import]

Beyond Daylight [Import]

Track Listings

1. Night Walker

2. Cold Wind

3. Scarlet Flower Fields

4. Healing Tree

5. End Of All Days

6. Free The Fire

7. Can You Hear Me

8. Phoenix

9. Beyond Daylight

10. Point Of Know Return

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
The German progressive metal band's 2002 and fourth studio album. Includes the limited bonus track 'Point Of Know Return' (Kansas cover).

Tracks:

Nightwalker
Cold Wind
Scarlet Flower Fields
Healing Tree
End of All Days
Free the Fire
Can You Hear Me
Phoenix
Beyond Daylight
Point of Know Return [*]

Album Description

The German progressive metal band's 2002 and fourth studio album. Includes the limited bonus track 'Point Of Know Return' (Kansas cover).

Customer Reviews:

music review.......2006-11-10

All I have to say after buying this album I am a vanden plas fan. This is a great album and I recommend it to any progressive metal fan!

Prog tour de force.......2006-11-03

If you are interested in Vanden Plas, I assume you are a prog metal fan. If that is the case, you will not be dissapointed in this CD. There are definitely elements of DT when you listen to this band, but they have their own musical sensibilities as well. There is no shortage of crunching guitar licks and pyro-technics, but not at the expense of good lyrics and solid song writing. One thing not often associated with prog metals is great vocal harmonies, but you will definitely find those here as well. Andy Kuntz has a great voice, and the backing vocals are rock-solid as well. The group has been around since 1986, and unfortunately they escaped my radar screen until a few years ago. Although I do not own all of Vanden Plas' CDs, I have not heard anything from this group that I did not like. If you are prog fan you should definitely own this CD.

i agree- SUPERB!!!.......2005-06-01

This is a must own for prog fans- if you like (older) Dream Theater- this is a great freakin CD- I can listen to this over and over!!!! Keep it comin PLAS!!!

Very Surprised.......2005-02-12

I picked this up on a whim on hearing some samples and I absolutely love this cd. There's just something about it that I can't put my finger on, but it's definitely got that progressive feel going on. Each song is exceptional, my favorite being, 'Can You Hear me'. The End of All Days and Scarlet Flower Fields are great too. Over the top. On a sidenote, Andy's voice almost reminds me of John Schillt's voice of the Christian rock group, Petra. But only the voice because there's no comparing the two musically. And make sure you check out Andy's side project. Abydos.

Superb prog........2002-12-12

I wasn't sure what to expect from this band, my only previous encounter was with the very talented keyboardist (Gunter Werno) on DC Cooper's (fantastic) solo release. But fans of prog have been positive about this lot, so I went for it.
And they're very good. VERY good. Remind me in some ways of "Images" era Dream Theater as far as song construction and instrumental sections go. The guitarist is very good, he can shred along with the best on 'em, although he's just a bit more restrained than Mr Petrucci - this band like instrumental passages to be just that, rather than a collection of solos. The drummer is also extremely good, but more restrained than Mike Portnoy, something I appreciate (Dream Theater over-use the double bass drums IMHO).

And the vocalist. Other reviews of past releases by Vanden Plas have been critical of the vocals. I can see why, he doesn't have the most powerful voice in prog, it's quite clean (cleaner than James LaBrie), and certainly not from the "Geoff Tate" school of singers. He does use his diaphragm well in places, and also occasionally throws in a rasp that's not a million miles away from Vince Neil (Motley Crue)! He can reach the high notes, and choruses tend to be constructed of layered vocals and harmonies, which more than compensated for the slight thin-ness that higher notes produces. And no screaming.

One thing worth mentioning is the strength of the song-writing. The choruses have good, memorable hooks, and satisfy the ear in a way that quite a few other prog releases fail to, despite the skills of the band.

Basically these guys have the lot, and the production more than makes up for any star losses I might have imposed for the vocals. Dunno about pervious material, but this ROCKS!

Beyond Daylight
Average customer rating:

Great!

wow

Great Album

Just one word: Fantastic!

WHEN DREAM THEATER WAS IN TO WRITING GREAT SONGS

Beyond Daylight
Vanden Plas
Manufacturer: Inside Out U.S.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music
Progressive Metal | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music
General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

The God Thing

Far Off Grace

Christ 0

Subsurface

Colour Temple

ASIN: B000063CMM
Release Date: 2002-04-02

Tracks:

Night Walker
Cold Wind
Scarlet Flower Fields
Healing Tree
End Of All Days
Free The Fire
Can You Hear Me
Phoenix
Beyond Daylight
Point Of Know Return

Customer Reviews:

Great!.......2005-05-01

This cd contains some superb vocal melodies and harmonies delivered by a gifted singer. Andy's vocals are delivered with good pitch and strong emotion. In a smooth natural way the music can change from heavy to beautiful and the singing reflects this well.
Things I love about this cd:
-The guitar is heavy and well played, the solos sound fresh with impressive phrasing.
-The keyboards fit well with the rest of the music and the piano sections are lush and enchanting.
-Contrast between the "metal" sections and the "soft" sections are great, while at the same time the bridging between them is cool and natural sounding.
-Production on the album sounds polished and professional, little to no harshness in the vocals and guitar.
-Entire rhythm section locked tight providing an "all on the same page sound" adding to the heaviness of the album.
-Strong song writing, it grows on you (which for me is a sign of an enduring album).

What I don't love:
-the last song I feel is the weakest overall song but I'm finding that's even growing on me.

Overall:
Beyond Daylight is a kickin album filled with progressive-metal and strong song writing / memorable melodies. Well, worth the money.

wow.......2005-02-10

I was listening to both Far Off Grace and Beyond Daylight last week. In the couple years or so between the two, they have greatly improved. The problem in Far Off Grace is that the singer constantly overshadows the melody. This is not present at all in Beyond Daylight. This CD is the best one yet by Vanden Plas. My friend has this CD and listens to it as much as Symphony X, because it is really that good. I like this CD because it has the same talent level as Symphony X, but is a different mood altogether. Good way to add variety to a prog-metal CD collection.
Great job, guys, this one is really good.

Great Album.......2004-05-10

This is the very 1st album I've got from Vanden Plas. I saw and heard of this name b4 somewhere just never could remember where but decided to purchase it at HMV with the hope that it would be good. Couple of initial spins didn't really convince me of their brand of prog but after so many spins it slowly dissolved into me. What a great album this is... Since then I went and bought Far Off Grace, Spirit Of Live, Colour Temple and The God Thing. I love this band since then. Highly Recommended....

Just one word: Fantastic!.......2003-10-23

When I first heard Vanden Plas' second studio album The God Thing, I thought that was the top of the line. It was simply a mindblowing album that blew me away with its content, the amazing musicianship, and cerebral lyrics. While I thought the following album Far Off Grace was still a worthwhile effort, I felt it paled in comparison to its predecessor. But I wasn't disappointed; I just didn't believe they would ever surpass the beauty of The God Thing.

But today, after having listened to Beyond Daylight for almost a year, I am eating my words. This is the best prog metal album of 2002 after Pain of Salvation's Remedy Lane (which is another masterpiece in its own league). Beyond Daylight is an album wonderfully easy to enjoy. Fans who know nothing of Vanden Plas or prog metal can still be drawn into this album after hearing only a few songs. But there is more to this wonderful album. The further it is explored the more it offers.

One thing that definitely shows is the steady line-up of the band. They have consistently stayed together and have matured greatly over the years. Keyboardist Gunter Werno is the only member who has been involved in outside projects if I'm not mistaken. He has played on a live Kamelot album, DC Cooper's solo album, a rock opera called Missa Mercuria (along with the other Vanden Plas guys) and Section A's The Seventh Sign. And, he shines on each and every one of these CDs.

Vocalist Andy Kuntz, having co-written the whole album with Lill, plays central role in all the songs. His vocals sit right in the centre of the tracks defining the current Vanden Plas sound. He seems to be in perfect form with his sometimes warm and sometimes aggressive vocals. He uses his voice as a great texture to layer over the perfectly performed instruments. The band behind him are also amazing. Stephan Lill's guitar playing has since day one appealed to the fans. He was obviously influenced by the 80's guitarists very heavily, but his phrasing is very progressive and fluid. He has a very fitting tone to the music. His solos are razor sharp, yet still contain a lot of melody and warmth. He has tremendous technique but doesn't necessarily put it on the forefront every second. The solo in the second song "Cold Wind" is one of the most fitting guitar solos I've heard in years. His riffs have tonnes of crunch that flirts with suggestive melodies.

But it's not just Andy and Stephan that come to mind when the name Vanden Plas is uttered. Actually, the rest of the band is equally amazing, crafting unbelievable musicianship, blending their styles into one form that eventually defines the current Vanden Plas sound. Gunter Werno knows exactly when to restrain himself with the keys and when to let himself loose. He plays some of the most beautifully complex keyboard solos to accompany Lill and bassist Reichert I lack words to explain it to you. His piano renditions are also fantastic. I have never heard or read it anywhere and do not know if anyone would agree, but I think he happens to be a big, big fan of Jon Oliva's piano work from Savatage. His style is just a more proggified version of Oliva's. Jon Oliva being one of my musical heros, I of course embrace the resemblance!

Now as for the drummer Andreas Lill... oh, what can I say? He simply has got one of the best drum tones I have ever heard in prog metal. I don't think anyone has impressed me so much with his drumming since Portnoy's godly performance on Images & Words or Zonder's stuff on A Pleasant Shade of Gray. While Andreas, unlike most of his contemporaries, prefers to play within the song structures, his drumming sounds so concise and absolutely pushes the band's music to a different level. Bassist Torsten Reichert is another phenomenal player. For so many years prog fans have complained about great bassists' being mixed too low on the albums. Well Vanden Plas destroys this theory on Beyond Daylight, for Reichert, right from the very beginning of the album, plays fiery and subtle bass lines that make the songs sound more intense, more aggressive, more complex, more progressive, and 100% Vanden Plas! Each member is a key factor of the band. Take one of them out, and even if you replace him with the best, technically most proficient musician, I guarantee you the next Vanden Plas album would suffer. It must be the chemistry between these guys that make them sound so tight and soulful.

The title track, also the longest song on the disc, is sublime in every respect. It showcases every aspect of the band without getting the least bit pretentious. Kansas' "Point of Know Return" closes the album. While I like Kansas a lot and think the cover sounds really great, I happen to think the song doesn't go too well with the rest of the disc. It has a totally different vibe to it, both musically and sonically.

The mix and production are brilliant. Nothing wrong with this album. They cover a lot of ground lyrically as well. Some of the lyrics are very pastoral dripping with emotion and sentiment. Few bands have managed to release albums as "complete" as Beyond Daylight. It has become an instant classic. People will still be raving about it 10 years from now, just as we are still raving about 1992's Images & Words. Mark my words.

WHEN DREAM THEATER WAS IN TO WRITING GREAT SONGS.......2003-09-13

If you liked Images and Words(DT), you will like this band. However, they are not a clone as some suggest. They are just as at the top of the heap as DT. Just saw them live and they were the best performance of the 10 prog bands I saw. Great songs with lots of great vocals and melody-Love the Point of No Return remake. Their singer does sound a bit like James Labrie but -is that a bad thing? Not to me-I miss the days when Dream Theater weren't into the technononsense they are playing now. Like this band lots!