DREAM THEATER A View From The Top Of The World

A View From The Top Of The World is the 15^th full length album from prog metal veterans Dream Theater and it comes with a very nice cover with a little bit of inspiration from Norwegian nature. As always when it comes to Dream Theater it takes quite a few spins to really get into the material and that was certainly the case with this one as well. One of the first things I’ve noticed about this album though was the excellent production, and to my ears it’s probably their best sounding album to date in that respect. Leaving the mixing duties to Andy Sneap was a very smart thing to do as his finishing touch of magic really makes a difference. There is a very nice balance between the instruments in the mix and the bass in particular has been allowed a more defined and more prominent space which I really like. I also think that the drum sound on this album is the best in the Mangini era. The song material is very strong from start to end and I really like the way that the arrangements are somewhat more back to basic with less bombastic instrumental virtuosity. Well, “Basic” is probably not the right word to use when it comes to Dream Theater, but I still feel that this is true for the keyboards in particular where on earlier albums it has at times been “too much” from Jordan Rudess he seems to be slightly more moderate this time around. Sometimes a simple Hammond or a piano does the material more justice than overly complex arrangements. To my ears this gives the album a slightly more early/mid nineties DT feel that I really like. The first time I heard the album I felt that the vocal lines lacked the catchy hooks and melodies that is so characteristic for the greatest DT songs, but after several spins the songs have really grown also when it comes to vocal lines, and as a matter of fact this is probably James LaBrie’s best vocal performance in quite a while in total. My personal favorite track on the album right now is Transcending Time, followed by Sleeping Giant and the majestic title track. All in all A View From The Top Of The World is an excellent album. It’s probably a bit too early to rank it yet, but based on what I feel right now it could easily end up in my top five in the DT discography.

Discography:

A View From The Top Of The World (2021)

Distance Over Time (2019)

The Astonishing  (2016)

Dream Theater (2013)
A Dramatic Turn Of Events (2011)
Black Clouds & Silver Linings (2009)
Systematic chaos (2007)
Train Of Thought (2003)
Six Degrees Of inner Turbulence (2002)
Scenes From A Memory (1999)
Once In A Livetime (1998)
Falling Into Infinity (1995)
A Change Of Seasons (1995)
Awake (1994)
Live At The Marquee (1993)
Images And Words (1992)
When Dream And Day Unite (1989)