A View from the Top of the World

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A View from the Top of the World
Cover art by Hugh Syme
Studio album by
Dream Theater
ReleasedOctober 22, 2021
RecordedOctober 2020 – March 2021
StudioDTHQ, Long Island, New York
GenreProgressive metal
Length70:19
LabelInside Out
ProducerJohn Petrucci
Dream Theater chronology
Distant Memories – Live in London
(2020) 		A View from the Top of the World
(2021)
Singles from A View from the Top of the World
  1. "The Alien"
    Released: August 13, 2021
  2. "Invisible Monster"
    Released: September 22, 2021
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Blabbermouth.net8/10[2]
Classic Rock[3]
ConsequenceB+[4]
Metal Hammer[5]
Metal Injection8/10[6]
RockNLoad9/10[7]

A View from the Top of the World is the fifteenth studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released on October 22, 2021.[8] This is their first album to be recorded at their own studio, DTHQ (Dream Theater Headquarters) as well as their first since Black Clouds & Silver Linings (2009) to include fewer than nine tracks, the first since Dream Theater (2013) both to contain a track of at least ten minutes in length and to end with the longest track. A View from the Top of the World is also Dream Theater's last album to feature drummer Mike Mangini, who left the band in October 2023 upon the return of original drummer Mike Portnoy.

Background and production[edit]

The band began work on A View from the Top of the World about a year after the release of their then-latest album, Distance over Time (2019). Metal Addicts reported in April 2020 that Dream Theater (who had recently rescheduled and eventually cancelled their touring plans due to the COVID-19 pandemic) was planning to work on a new album in 2021.[9] On the direction of the album, guitarist John Petrucci stated in an August 2020 interview with Ultimate Guitar: "The eight-string project with Ernie Ball Music Man is something we are working on and hoping to have developed as this year goes on. I'm hoping that on the next Dream Theater record I'll be able to explore that."[10] Petrucci later confirmed, during an October 2020 interview with Revolver that, within the next few weeks, the band would be heading into DTHQ (the band's newly constructed studio) to get started on a new album.[11]

Four of the five members wrote together in-studio, while frontman James LaBrie instead contributed via video conference meetings remotely from Canada, as not to risk any potential compromising of his voice. When asked in an interview about the album's progress, Petrucci said that the writing sessions were "off to a great start".[12] These sessions spanned over the next four months until March, after which LaBrie, at last, flew from Canada to meet them in New York to record vocals.[8] This recording session also marked Dream Theater's first collaboration with Andy Sneap, who mixed and mastered the album, having recently worked with Petrucci on his second solo album Terminal Velocity (2020).

Dream Theater teased the album on July 26, 2021, revealing the initials of each of the seven song's titles and their respective runtimes.[13] Two days later, it was announced that the album was titled A View from the Top of the World, and was planned for release on October 22, 2021.[8] Two singles were released to support A View from the Top of the World: "The Alien" and "Invisible Monster", while music videos for "Awaken the Master", "Transcending Time" and "Answering the Call" were each released after the album's release date.[14][15][16][17][18]

"The Alien" won the Grammy for Best Metal Performance in 2022, giving the band their first Grammy win after having been nominated for the third time (they were nominated in 2012 for "On the Backs of Angels" and in 2014 with "The Enemy Inside").[19]

The front cover photo is of Kjeragbolten in Norway.[20][21]

Accolades[edit]

Publication Accolade Rank
Consequence Top 30 Metal & Hard Rock Albums
22[22]
Guitar World The 20 Best Guitar Albums of 2021
5[23]
Loudwire The 45 Best Rock + Metal Albums of 2021
35[24]
Metal Hammer Top 10 Prog Metal Albums of 2021
6[25]
Prog Top 20 Albums of 2021
11[26]

Track listing[edit]

All music is composed by John Petrucci, John Myung, Jordan Rudess, James LaBrie and Mike Mangini

No.TitleLyricsLength
1."The Alien"James LaBrie[27]9:32
2."Answering the Call"LaBrie7:35
3."Invisible Monster"John Petrucci6:31
4."Sleeping Giant"Petrucci10:05
5."Transcending Time"Petrucci6:25
6."Awaken the Master"John Myung9:47
7."A View from the Top of the World"
  • "I. The Crowning Glory"
  • "II. Rapture of the Deep"
  • "III. The Driving Force"
Petrucci20:24
Total length:70:19

Personnel[edit]

Dream Theater

Production

  • John Petrucci – production
  • James "Jimmy T" Meslin – engineering, additional production[28]
  • Andy Sneap – mixing, mastering
  • Hugh Syme – art direction, illustration, design
  • Rayon Richards – band photos

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for A View from the Top of the World
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[29] 42
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[30] 5
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[31] 12
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[32] 16
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[33] 32
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[34] 27
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[35] 3
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[36] 1
French Albums (SNEP)[37] 30
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[38] 2
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[39] 11
Italian Albums (FIMI)[40] 9
Japan Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[41] 9
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[42] 8
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[43] 13
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[44] 6
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[45] 8
Scottish Albums (OCC)[46] 10
Slovak Albums (ČNS IFPI)[47] 62
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[48] 21
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[49] 21
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[50] 3
UK Albums (OCC)[51] 21
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[52] 2
US Billboard 200[53] 52
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[54] 8
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[55] 3
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[56] 10

References[edit]

  1. ^ Jurek, Thom (November 21, 2021). "A View From the Top of the World Review by Thom Jurek". allmusic.com.
  2. ^ Roche, Jason (October 18, 2021). "A View From The Top Of The World – DREAM THEATER". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  3. ^ Stubbs, David (October 22, 2021). "Dream Theater exhaust their armoury on A View From The Top Of The World". Louder Sound. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  4. ^ Prato, Greg (October 22, 2021). "Dream Theater's prog vision remains laser focused on A View From the Top of the World: Review". Consequence. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  5. ^ Thießies, Frank (October 22, 2021). "Dream Theater A View from the Top of the World". metal-hammer.de. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  6. ^ Blum, Jordan (October 20, 2021). "Album Review: DREAM THEATER A View From The Top Of The World". Metal Injection. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  7. ^ "Dream Theater // A View From The Top Of The World // Album Review". rocknloadmag.com. October 2021. Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c Lewry, Fraser (July 28, 2021). "Dream Theater announce new album A View From The Top Of The World". Louder Sound. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  9. ^ "DREAM THEATER Reschedule Australian Tour To November". metaladdicts.com. April 25, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  10. ^ "John Petrucci Explains Why He Left Ibanez, Announces Plan to Use 8-String Guitar on New Dream Theater". Ultimate Guitar. August 3, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  11. ^ "Dream Theater on New Live Album, Onstage Mishaps, Rehearsing in Meat Shops". Revolver. October 2, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  12. ^ "DREAM THEATER Is 'Off To A Great Start' With Writing Sessions For New Album". Blabbermouth. November 27, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  13. ^ "DREAM THEATER Teases New Album". Blabbermouth.net. July 26, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  14. ^ "DREAM THEATER Teases Music Video For New Single 'The Alien'". Blabbermouth.net. August 9, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  15. ^ "DREAM THEATER Teases 'Invisible Monster' Music Video". Blabbermouth.net. September 21, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  16. ^ "See Dream Theater's Stunning Video for "Awaken the Master"". Revolver. October 25, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  17. ^ "DREAM THEATER Releases 'Transcending Time' Music Video". Blabbermouth.net. January 26, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  18. ^ "DREAM THEATER Shares Music Video For 'Answering The Call'". Blabbermouth.net. June 15, 2023. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
  19. ^ "Dream Theater Win Best Metal Performance Grammy Award for "The Alien"". Revolver. Project M Group LLC. April 3, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  20. ^ "DREAM THEATER RETURN WITH 'A VIEW FROM THE TOP OF THE WORLD'". Dream Theater. July 28, 2021. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  21. ^ "Stort amerikansk band bruker Kjerag som hovedmotiv på nytt album". www.aftenbladet.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). July 28, 2021. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  22. ^ "Top 30 Metal & Hard Rock Albums". Consequence. December 15, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  23. ^ "The 20 best guitar albums of 2021". Guitar World. December 22, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  24. ^ "The 45 Best Rock + Metal Albums of 2021". Loudwire. December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  25. ^ Metal Hammer (December 12, 2021). "Top 10 prog metal Albums of 2021". loudersound.com. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  26. ^ "The Anchoress's The Art Of Losing voted Prog Magazine writers' Album Of The Year". Prog. November 27, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  27. ^ DiVita, Joe (August 13, 2021). "Dream Theater Unveil Epic Single 'The Alien' From 15th Album". Loudwire. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  28. ^ DiVita, Joe (July 28, 2021). "Dream Theater Announce 15th Album 'A View From the Top of the World' + 2021 U.S. Tour". Loudwire. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  29. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Dream Theater – A View from the Top of the World". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  30. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Dream Theater – A View from the Top of the World" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  31. ^ "Ultratop.be – Dream Theater – A View from the Top of the World" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  32. ^ "Ultratop.be – Dream Theater – A View from the Top of the World" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  33. ^ "Dream Theater Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  34. ^ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 43.Týden 2021 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  35. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Dream Theater – A View from the Top of the World" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  36. ^ "Dream Theater: A View from the Top of the World" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  37. ^ "Lescharts.com – Dream Theater – A View from the Top of the World". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  38. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Dream Theater – A View from the Top of the World" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  39. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2021. 43. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  40. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Dream Theater – A View from the Top of the World". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  41. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot Albums: 2021/10/27 公開". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  42. ^ "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2021-11-01" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  43. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Dream Theater – A View from the Top of the World". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  44. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  45. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Dream Theater – A View from the Top of the World". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  46. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  47. ^ "Slovak Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Retrieved January 3, 2021. Note: On the chart page, select SK - Albums - Top 100 under the left field and "202144" on the field besides the word "Zobrazit", and then click over the word to retrieve the correct chart data.
  48. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Dream Theater – A View from the Top of the World". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  49. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Dream Theater – A View from the Top of the World". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  50. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Dream Theater – A View from the Top of the World". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  51. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  52. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  53. ^ "Dream Theater Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  54. ^ "Dream Theater Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  55. ^ "Dream Theater Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  56. ^ "Dream Theater Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
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