So, what do you do when you're in a side project band loaded with talent and your debut album had those in the know saying in unison, “WOW this is good?” You make a second album that, if anything, is even better, one stuffed to the gills with an inventive passion that yields superb rewards for those up to the challenge. The band is SiX BY SiX, the album is “Beyond Shadowland,” and it is an absolute winner.

SiX BY SiX is a trio with an unimpeachable track record. Start with bassist/keyboardist/lead vocalist Robert Berry, whose resume boasts of time spent among prog rock legends such as Keith Emerson and Carl Palmer, with whom, under the band name 3, Berry hit the Top Ten in 1988 with “Talkin’ Bout.” Guitarist Ian Crichton’s well-earned reputation as a six-string slinger of liquid fire stems from his lengthy tenure in Canadian progressive rock stalwarts Saga. Drummer Nigel Glockler from British heavy metal veterans Saxon lays down muscular yet supple rhythms. The end result is a band that is synergy in action. It simultaneously reaches deep into each member’s strengths and pushes the trio into territory uniquely its own.

SiX BY SiX is not solely about impressive skills, and “Beyond Shadowland” is more than a collection of hot show-off riffs. It is an album that commands your attention, with each time listened to revealing new layers and nuances. It's a musical journey that challenges you to keep up, and the reward for doing so is a deeper appreciation for the artistry and complexity of the music. Sometimes the approach is sweet sledgehammer:

And other times more subtle.

Where “Beyond Shadowland” most excels is in its sheer inventiveness. With Crichton’s guitar far more front and center than in the guitar/keyboard interplay and heavily staccato-filled riffs that permeate Saga’s work, the album often channels near-metal level crunch as Crichton blazes through a dazzling assortment of riffs. While not entering the prog metal realm inhabited by bands such as Dream Theater, SiX BY SiX rocks it with more than sufficient panache to satisfy the denim and leather crowd.

None of this would matter if the songs weren’t there. Fortunately, this is not a problem. Loaded with sophisticated melodies, the album throws down the gauntlet to the listener. “Beyond Shadowland” recalls Rush in its heyday, not so much stylistically despite its guitar-led power trio prog format, but in demanding the listener’s full attention. You are not going to grasp everything transpiring here on first listen. It takes several runs through to appreciate the sophisticated usage of tools such as deliberate dissonance to sharpen content and create purpose.

“Beyond Shadowland” differs from the kind of album one tosses on as background noise for mundane daily business. It grabs the listener by the throat in a very good way. “Beyond Shadowland” is the opposite of prefabricated pop fluff. The album brings oxygen to the mind, broadening horizons and providing welcome relief from the commonplace in life and art.

I haven’t been this excited about a new album in many a moon. With “Beyond Shadowland,” SiX BY SiX has gifted us a prime example of the good things that can happen when superbly gifted musicians pool their resources to make music not for the cash register but to expand the mind and feed the soul.