Fifteen studio albums in, and now with their fifth release since the addition of drummer Mike Mangini, progressive metal legends Dream Theater might have just put together their strongest effort since the departure of founder Mike Portnoy. A View From the Top of the World follows 2019's Distance Over Time, that also being a strong effort, the band now seemingly quite comfortable with their no longer 'new' drummer and writing some of the best material in years. Containing just seven tracks and clocking in at 70-minutes, A View From the Top of the World offers up Dream Theater's blend of soaring melodies, heavy riffs, and complex arrangements.
Though they've gotten away from it on recent albums, the band are back to including some long songs on this new release. Opener "The Alien" sits at just under 10-minutes, and is a great way to kick things off, and it's followed by the complex crusher "Answering the Call", complete with monstrous solo trade-offs between John Petrucci and Jordan Rudess, with Mangini & John Myung weaving some intricate rhythms and James LaBrie putting on a fine vocal performance. One thing to note, Myung's bass is clearly heard in the mix on this album, a gripe of many over the years that he's too often invisible on some of their releases. Petrucci's "Invisible Monster" is beefy and symphonic, Mangini's rolling drum parts allowing for some menacing riffs and majestic keys, while the crushing "Sleeping Giant" features some gargantuan guitar riffs, Hammond organ, Mellotron, and wild solo spots. LaBrie shines on the anthemic "Transcending Time", filled with hooks and a bright arrangement, and the band dig deep on the heavy "Awaken the Master", a brilliant Myung track that harkens back to Dream Theater from the first couple of albums. The 20-minute, three part title track closes things out in style, the bands ability to create epic, longform compositions succeeds once again, complete with aggressive riffs & keys from the team of Petrucci & Rudess, loads of solo spots, changes in time signatures, and another fine LaBrie vocal add up to a well constructed lengthy piece to close out the show here.
Ultimately, A View From the Top of the World is another excellent Dream Theater release, a band who have amassed quite a string of successes over the years and show no signs of slowing up.
Track Listing
1. "The Alien" James LaBrie[19] 9:32
2. "Answering the Call" LaBrie 7:35
3. "Invisible Monster" John Petrucci 6:31
4. "Sleeping Giant" Petrucci 10:05
5. "Transcending Time" Petrucci 6:25
6. "Awaken the Master" John Myung 9:47
7. "A View from the Top of the World"
I. The Crowning Glory"
II. Rapture of the Deep"
III. The Driving Force"
Petrucci 20:24
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