| A View from the Top of the World | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 22, 2021 | |||
| Recorded | October 2020 – March 2021 | |||
| Studio | DTHQ,Long Island,New York | |||
| Genre | Progressive metal | |||
| Length | 70:19 | |||
| Label | Inside Out | |||
| Producer | John Petrucci | |||
| Dream Theater chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from A View from the Top of the World | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Blabbermouth.net | 8/10[2] |
| Classic Rock |  [3] |
| Consequence | B+[4] |
| Metal Hammer | [5] |
| Metal Injection | 8/10[6] |
| RockNLoad | 9/10[7] |
A View from the Top of the World is the fifteenth studio album by Americanprogressive metal bandDream Theater, released on October 22, 2021.[8] It is their first album to be recorded at their own studio, DTHQ (Dream Theater Headquarters) as well as their first sinceBlack Clouds & Silver Linings (2009) to include fewer than nine tracks, the first sinceDream Theater (2013) both to contain a track of at least ten minutes in length and to end with the longest track. It is also Dream Theater's last album to feature drummerMike Mangini, who left the band in October 2023 upon the return of original drummerMike Portnoy.
The band began work onA 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 theCOVID-19 pandemic) was planning to work on a new album in 2021.[9] On the direction of the album, guitaristJohn Petrucci stated in an August 2020 interview withUltimate 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 withRevolver 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 frontmanJames 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 withAndy Sneap, who mixed and mastered the album, having recently worked with Petrucci on his second solo albumTerminal 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 titledA View from the Top of the World, and was planned for release on October 22, 2021.[8] "The Alien" and "Invisible Monster" were both released as singles, while music videos for "Awaken the Master", "Transcending Time" and "Answering the Call" were each released after the album's release.[14][15][16][17][18]
"The Alien" won theGrammy forBest Metal Performance in2022, giving the band their first Grammy win after having been nominated for the third time (they were nominatedin 2012 for "On the Backs of Angels" andin 2014 with "The Enemy Inside").[19]
The front cover photo is ofKjeragbolten inNorway.[20][21]
| 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] |
All music is composed byJohn Petrucci,John Myung,Jordan Rudess,James LaBrie andMike Mangini.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Alien" | James LaBrie[27] | 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"
| Petrucci | 20:24 |
| Total length: | 70:19 | ||
Dream Theater
Production
| 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 |
| USBillboard 200[53] | 52 |
| USIndependent Albums (Billboard)[54] | 8 |
| USTop Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[55] | 3 |
| USTop Rock Albums (Billboard)[56] | 10 |
