Dream Theater's 'A View from the Top of the World' - Album Review

2021 has been an excellent year for new music. When I come to put together my Albums of the Year list in a month's time it will be a real struggle to know what to include; and new albums are still being released that could challenge my established favourites. A band who will always be in contention when it comes to my Albums of the Year lists is the American progressive metal band Dream Theater. Dream Theater are, arguably, the most important band to progressive metal as a genre. There were bands playing progressive metal before Dream Theater debuted in 1989 with When Dream and Day Unite, but it was the Berklee-formed five-piece that truly solidified the genre and wrote lengthy and diverse compositions on the same level of those put out by many of the classic progressive rock bands of the 1970s. Dream Theater's ability to mix lengthy compositions with tight songwriting and soaring hooks has made them one of the biggest progressive metal bands in the world. The band, at least here in the UK, have achieved semi-mainstream acceptance and can fill some pretty decent-sized venues when they tour. The band have a great reputation for a reason, and it has been earnt by years of hard graft. Dream Theater rarely leave long gaps between their albums, and they always seem to be on the road - so it is no wonder that they are still held in such high regard more than 30 years into their career. That being said, some Dream Theater fans are hard to please. While some these days accuse the band of sticking too rigidly to an established formula, to me Dream Theater are a band that have honed a distinct sound over a number of years. The band might not take as many risks sound-wise as they once did, but Dream Theater are still the quintessential progressive metal band to me - and even their last few albums showcase a lot of variety. 2013's self-titled release (which I reviewed here) included a lengthy closer that had a bona fide passage of classical music within it; 2016's mammoth The Astonishing (which I also reviewed here) was a genuine rock opera that included frontman James LaBrie's best recorded vocal performance; and 2019's Distance Over Time (which, again, I reviewed here) stripped back some of the band's excess to create a punchy, hooky album that still sounded very much like Dream Theater. Two years on from Distance Over Time, Dream Theater are back with their fifteenth studio album A View from the Top of the World - which was released last month. Sound-wise, A View from the Top of the World sounds like a continuation of the punchiness of Distance Over Time, but with the prog injected back in in a big way. Distance Over Time was still a progressive metal album, of course, but A View from the Top of the World goes all out from a prog stand point. It is also the band's heaviest album for quite some time, with some of the downtuned and groovy riffing seeing the band sounding as aggressive as on parts of albums like 2007's Systematic Chaos and 2009's Black Clouds & Silver Linings.

With only seven songs and a runtime of just over 70 minutes, A View from the Top of the World really is proper prog. It is also one of the best-sounding Dream Theater albums in my opinion, helped by a great mix from veteran metal producer Andy Sneap. While some have criticised Dream Theater's production in the past, I have never really had an issue with the way any of their albums sound - even if some of their early albums are very 'of their time' production-wise. Distance Over Time was easily the punchiest that the band had sounded for a good few years, however, and that style continues on throughout A View from the Top of the World - but amplified by Sneap's clear-as-day mix. All five band members truly shine as a result, and the kick-off track (and lead single) The Alien is a great example of this. The song is quintessential Dream Theater, but back with a real knotty prog vengeance. A short drum barrage from Mike Mangini opens things up, before the first of many big riffs from guitarist John Petrucci kicks in - which the song's opening section is based around. Given the album's overall heaviness, Petrucci has really focused on his riff-writing here. There are so many memorable riffs throughout the album, and the opening to The Alien is just the first of many. Bassist John Myung, who is always audible, often adds little flourishes to deviate from the main riff; while keyboardist Jordan Rudess throws in his traditional counter-melodies. The song's lengthy intro is classic Dream Theater in scope too, with a brief mellow section containing an emotional Petrucci solo thrown in, and it sets up a song that really plays to the band's strengths. The song could be by no-one else, and when LaBrie starts to sing a couple of minutes in the final piece of the puzzle falls into place. LaBrie is still a commanding singer, and his performance throughout the album is great. The Alien sees him singing in a slightly lower register than usual, but his trademark tone is instantly recognisable. He carries the melodies perfectly, and his lyrics are packed full of the band's usual imagery. His grittier vocal delivery fits the song's overall heaviness; but the melodic touches are still there. The band's penchant for a lengthy solo is still present too, and the core instrumental mid-section of the song is typically impressive. It starts off with an Eastern-tinged Petrucci solo, backed by an off-kilter Mangini beat, before exploding into a fast-paced and chaotic Rudess solo. The song is classic Dream Theater in every way, and it is the perfect way to kick off the album. Answering the Call follows, and it retains the heaviness of the album's opening cut - but fuses it with soaring melodies akin to the sound the band forged on 2011's A Dramatic Turn of Events. Petrucci's guitar sounds weighty throughout, but the overall arrangement is much more overtly-melodic - with busy synth melodies, plenty of soaring guitar breaks, and a vocal from LaBrie which is more typical of his trademark style. The song is possibly not as overtly prog as some of the other cuts here too, and there are certainly shades of Distance Over Time within the song's crunchy and organ-drenched arrangement. Despite great performances from all involved, for me LaBrie is the standout performer throughout the song. He also wrote the song's lyrics, and his delivery is perfect for its mix of mid-paced, snaking heaviness and busy synth melodicism.

Up next is Invisible Monster - another of the album's singles and one of its shorter cuts. Despite the massive prog injection that A View from the Top of the World has received, there are still plenty of shades of the band's previous album throughout. Invisible Monster is one such song - and it is probably the album's simplest song from a songwriting and arrangement perspective. The verses have much more of a simple chug than is typical of the album, while Rudess' keyboards provide an atmospheric backing. There are, of course, a few little intricacies thrown in throughout, but on the whole this is Dream Theater at their most restrained. Even most of the guitar leads are Steve Rothery-esque and made up of a few choice notes, with Petrucci reining in his usual busy style to suit the song's more straight ahead sound. Such is a sound is familiar to Dream Theater however, and the band have written a number of songs like this over the years. They have done this style better in the past in my opinion, as Invisible Monster's chorus never really takes hold as it ought to, but it is still an enjoyable track that showcases the band at their most organic. Sleeping Giant is the longest song on the album up to this point, and is the second-longest overall. Following the relatively simple Invisible Monster, Sleeping Giant reintroduces the prog of the album's opening two songs - and even introduces a few tech metal-inspired sounds. Following a lengthy intro that is dominated by Rudess' busy keyboard work, the song settles into its main groove, which is polyrhythmic in a manner that TesseracT would be proud of. The song is not quite as angular as bands like TesseracT, however, but Petrucci's riff and Mangini's drum pattern certainly butt heads in that classic tech metal fashion - with each playing a slightly different rhythm. This sound works really well for Dream Theater, and their warm production stops the song from sounding too mechanical - which is what prevents me from ever being more than a casual fan of the tech metal genre. The sound does not dominate the song either, but it is certainly one of its core ingredients. More traditional Dream Theater sounds surround it, which give the song a real dynamic arrangement. A big Petrucci guitar lead is never too far away, and there are moments were LaBrie really soars vocally - such as on the chorus that occasionally surfaces during the song. Transcending Time takes a different direction again, and it is the latest entry in the band's on-going collection of songs that showcase their Rush influence. The song is easily the jauntiest thing on the album, and the opening melody is really uplifting - with Petrucci's guitar hook backed by Rudess' 1980s-esque synths. It is not wholly a bouncy pop rocker, however, as it still has a great prog arrangement. Parts of the verses are quite low key, with LaBrie singing against a piano backing, while other moments are full of life - with lots of great synth leads from Rudess. It is the sort of song that puts the sometimes-stated opinion to bed that Dream Theater only write serious music with no soul. Transcending Time is such an uplifting song from start to finish, with every section coming together perfectly to craft a song that is equal parts pop and prog.

Awaken the Master is perhaps the exact opposite of Transcending Time, however, as it is the album's heaviest track - and one of the band's heaviest songs for quite some time. Petrucci has been experimenting with 8-string guitars over the last couple of years, and Awaken the Master is the result. The song's main riff is downtuned and groovy, but ironically it does not stray into tech metal territory despite the instrument's presence. Sleeping Giant had more tech metal than Awaken the Master, but the riffing sounds beefy - meaning that there are very slight hints of nu-metal within the tones of the some of the riffs, but not enough for it to become the dominant sound. The song is still very clearly Dream Theater, and even the most downtuned-sounding sections are filled with Petrucci's trademark style and Rudess' counter-melodies. There is still plenty of diversity within the song too and it is not a relentless riff-a-thon. As with many of the band's songs there are gentler sections, but even these have a certain weight to them thanks to a great presence from Myung - who also wrote the song's lyrics. Myung's bass really drives the song, and his tone throughout perfectly suits the tones that Petrucci has come up with. There is even a section that sounds like a brief, effects-heavy bass solo from Myung, which then morphs into a more traditional guitar solo from Petrucci. Myung rarely gets such prominence in the band's sound, but Awaken the Master is just as much about his playing as it is about Petrucci's 8-string experiments. It is left to the album's 20-plus minute title track to close out the album. Dream Theater are no strangers to long-form compositions, but they have not breached the 20 minute mark too often in their career. As is to be expected A View from the Top of the World takes a few listens to fully appreciate, and I am sure that I will be discovering a lot more about the song over the coming months. That being said, it still has a lot of sections that instantly stand out. One section that I really like is the opening verse, and this is largely because of LaBrie's dominant vocal display. His vocal performance during the chugging verses is one of real power, and the band seem to melt away behind him - only to return in a big way for the pacier chorus which has a big hook. Due to the song's length, it is never really in a hurry to move on. This allows each section to get a chance to properly breathe, as well as plenty of the instrumental showboating that the band are known for. This does not always take the form of elongated solos, however, as there are a number of parts throughout the song that string a lot of riffs and musical patterns together in a Metallica-esque fashion. There are plenty of solos too, however it is actually some of the groove-based riffing that stands out the most for me throughout - and there is even a brief blast beat to keep an eye out for. Emotional, atmospheric sections are also present, which often act as a bed for LaBrie's excellent vocals - but much of the song is heavy to suit the overall tone of the album. It is a perfect collection of all that has come before, and it is another great entry into the band's lengthy epic collection. It is also a great way to end the album, as it wraps everything up nicely and in some ways comes full circle from The Alien. While this is an album that is very much like its title track (it needs a few listens to fully appreciate) there is still so much that hits instantly. Dream Theater have always managed to mix melody and complexity together so well, and A View from the Top of the World is another great example of this talent. The heaviness is a bonus too, and the album is another excellent album from the masters of progressive metal - who seem to show no signs of slowing down.

The album was released on 22nd October 2021 via InsideOut Music. Below is the band's promotional video for The Alien.