*Official* A View from the Top of the World discussion thread

[lovethedrake]

After a year.. I like the album,  very solid but not spectacular.

However, the title track has really grown on me,  I listen to it often and think it's pretty fantastic. 

I think AWE and AVFTTOTW are probably my two favorite Mangini era tracks.

[Architeuthis]

You are clearly a man of rare insight and perspicuity.

Dang it, now I've got to go look up "perspicuity" in the dictionary.  I guess I could just google it. 


*update*
Perspicuity: Clearness or lucidity, as of a statement.

So yeah Hef, you're right about Stadler. 

[hefdaddy42]

So yeah Hef, you're right about Stadler. 

I'm right about everything.

[Architeuthis]

If you're right about everything or not, you likely have a more extensive vocabulary than I do. 😁

[crystalstars17]

Listening to this album right now. After one of the craziest (work-related) summers of my life that's left me burnt out to a crisp, it's like medicine (isn't it all, though?). It's like the music embraces you in its wings and carries you to another place.

I have to say that I love it, as much as I did last fall. It's made it's way into my top 3.

[Max Kuehnau]

Listening to this album right now. After one of the craziest (work-related) summers of my life that's left me burnt out to a crisp, it's like medicine (isn't it all, though?). It's like the music embraces you in its wings and carries you to another place.

I have to say that I love it, as much as I did last fall. It's made it's way into my top 3.

it's in my eternal three (along with Dramatic Turn and DT12) so...

[crystalstars17]

it's in my eternal three (along with Dramatic Turn and DT12) so...

Yes...and in mine with Images & Words and Distance over Time. 

The title song literally got me through the last few months. When I needed inspiration, I'd listen to it and remind myself I am living the dream...this is my view from the top of the world. 💙

[Architeuthis]

I'm going through an extremely dark time in my life right now and DT music is the best thing that I could be listening to. AVFTTOTW is no exception. 💙💫
Their various albums have helped me through other dark periods over the years too.

[Glasser]

I'm going through an extremely dark time in my life right now and DT music is the best thing that I could be listening to. AVFTTOTW is no exception. 💙💫
Their various albums have helped me through other dark periods over the years too.

I'm sorry to hear you're going through a dark time, truly. And I agree that music is the great escape.

[Stadler]

I'm going through an extremely dark time in my life right now and DT music is the best thing that I could be listening to. AVFTTOTW is no exception. 💙💫
Their various albums have helped me through other dark periods over the years too.

I'm sorry you're experiencing whatever you're experiencing; my friendly advice is to ignore the rest of us about "this is great" or "that is great". If you're feeling it, FEEL it, and don't worry about anything else.

I hope you feel better.

[Architeuthis]

Thanks you guys,  I appreciate your kindness.  Yeah it's hard for me to listen to emotional songs right now which DT has plenty of. They also have alot of songs that can take you to a better place and keep my mind occupied.  VIEW has plenty of songs like that. They take you for a great ride but aren't tear jerkers. If that makes sense..

[Wim Kruithof]

VIEW has plenty of songs like that. They take you for a great ride but aren't tear jerkers. If that makes sense..

It makes sense. Although, those 'tear jerkers' are so personal. It's not only the song or lyric itself, but also combined with a mans life situation. To me, The Shattered Fortress is just that, it moves me everytime I hear it (and that's pretty often). The prayer in the end is lyrical my favourite Dream Theater-part of all.

But, wish you the best. Hope you can find the strength to see light in your darkness and maybe this very forum can be as a sparkle.

[cramx3]

I'm going through an extremely dark time in my life right now and DT music is the best thing that I could be listening to. AVFTTOTW is no exception. 💙💫
Their various albums have helped me through other dark periods over the years too.

Sorry and hope things get better soon for you.  But this is why music is the best.  Music is ALWAYS there for me.

[Architeuthis]

You all are so awesome! And yes, this forum is a good sparkle for me as well. I don't get to talk about DT very much in everyday life. There are also other topics presented in this forum that are very interesting. Overall a very good vibe with decent and Intellectual people. 
I'm listening to d/t tonight and I almost forgot how amazing this album is too!

[Cool Chris]

I don't get to talk about DT very much in everyday life.

I am sure that goes for all of us here. 

[Wim Kruithof]

I am sure that goes for all of us here. 

For sure! My closest friend and best man on my wedding brought me in Dream Theater back in 2017. He is a fan since Awake but I somehow never discovered Dream Theater, was when I grew up in totally different musical spheres, like Cypress Hill (and Metallica). How I wish I met him when I was young to be a fan since then. It's so great to surf on the same musical wave.

Last couple of years I never listen to any other music than Dream Theater and Transatlantic. It completely consumes all my musical interrest. And I wish for nothing more. I feel blessed that I had the change to see Portnoy finally live on the The Absolute Universe Tour in Tilburg, the Netherlands.

Music has its way to pin in a moment and grab a hold of a life-event. I heard Octavarium the first time when I was on the airplane to meet my girl in Rome. I'll never forget that. That girl, who's my wife now, will give birth to my fourth child any day now... and somehow, on a strange way, I listen Wait for Sleep way more than normal, these days.

[bosk1]

A year later, I think this album is settling in right in the middle of their discography for me.  Very close to d/t.  In fact, I keep going back and forth about which of those two I like better and why.  Overall, very solid album all the way through.  It doesn't quite reach the heights of SFAM, Six Degrees, ADTOE, or DT12.  But I would definitely put it in that next tier down with Images and Awake.  Really good work from the band with some songs I will no doubt listen to for a long, long time.

[emtee]

A year later, I think this album is settling in right in the middle of their discography for me.  Very close to d/t.  In fact, I keep going back and forth about which of those two I like better and why.  Overall, very solid album all the way through.  It doesn't quite reach the heights of SFAM, Six Degrees, ADTOE, or DT12.  But I would definitely put it in that next tier down with Images and Awake.  Really good work from the band with some songs I will no doubt listen to for a long, long time.

Yep. For me too. The new one and D/T are very good albums that sit at the top of tier 2 and maybe even the bottom of tier 1. The sonic values on both elevate the listening experience. Very happy with both of them.

[MoraWintersoul]

I don't get to talk about DT very much in everyday life.

I am sure that goes for all of us here. 

Life hack, marry a metal person, I can talk about Dream Theater whenever I want

[Wim Kruithof]

Overall, very solid album all the way through.  It doesn't quite reach the heights of SFAM, Six Degrees, ADTOE, or DT12.  But I would definitely put it in that next tier down with Images and Awake.  Really good work from the band with some songs I will no doubt listen to for a long, long time.

I wonder, if you've been a Dream Theater fan for so long, then a man's life evolves and no new album can ever replace the time and events you went through back then. I think if I was a fan since the first albums, not one new album could come close. I still remember buying one of my first cd's as a child, Ride the Lighting from Metallica. I thought it was the best in the world. But also in a timeframe and space when there wasn't that much around it either. Now, being a grown up-dude and my wife gave birth to my fourth' child last month, music 's got a different way of 'landing'. Maybe there is more, but still Dream Theater seems to land spot-on, on my heart. Next to Transatlantic, Dream Theater really is the only band I'll listen to and got all vinyl from.

Of course, a couple of Pink Floyd's are here with me too...

I became a Dream Theaterfan about five years ago. So I had to digest al those studioalbums in a couple of years. Man... I wish I found out 'bout them when I was a kid.

[bosk1]

Overall, very solid album all the way through.  It doesn't quite reach the heights of SFAM, Six Degrees, ADTOE, or DT12.  But I would definitely put it in that next tier down with Images and Awake.  Really good work from the band with some songs I will no doubt listen to for a long, long time.

I wonder, if you've been a Dream Theater fan for so long, then a man's life evolves and no new album can ever replace the time and events you went through back then. I think if I was a fan since the first albums, not one new album could come close. I still remember buying one of my first cd's as a child, Ride the Lighting from Metallica. I thought it was the best in the world. But also in a timeframe and space when there wasn't that much around it either. Now, being a grown up-dude and my wife gave birth to my fourth' child last month, music 's got a different way of 'landing'. Maybe there is more, but still Dream Theater seems to land spot-on, on my heart. Next to Transatlantic, Dream Theater really is the only band I'll listen to and got all vinyl from.

Of course, a couple of Pink Floyd's are here with me too...

I became a Dream Theaterfan about five years ago. So I had to digest al those studioalbums in a couple of years. Man... I wish I found out 'bout them when I was a kid.

Yeah, I think that is totally a factor, and I try to be honest and aware of that.  It can be hard to overcome that.  But I know for me that I think ADTOE and DT12 ranking as my #3 and #4 of all time is a testament both to how good those later albums are AND to the fact that I can look past holding something sacred just because of its "classic" status.  As highly as I regard Awake and Images, and as much as they meant to me early on in my DT journey, for example, I have little problem acknowledging that there are things about those albums that I can point to and say that I feel holds them back from being ahead of other albums.

But on the flipside, I think the opposite can be a factor as well, where we've lived with a song or album for so long that we can become kind of numb to how truly good it is, and we can forget how much it kind of "deserves" to be revered.  I find myself doing that all the time, and then I go back and listen to something and go, "Oh yeah, this is really fantastic, and I forgot how good it truly is because I haven't actively listened to it in so long." 

[Dream Team]

^ Totally spot-on with songs like Metropolis that can be taken for granted. Extremely difficult to compete with that high a standard but I am in agreement that ADTOE and DT12 deserve the high ranking while the last 2 albums fall towards the bottom middle for me (for different reasons). The songs on View are of pretty high quality but are a bit samey throughout, whereas my problem with DoT is that it contains 3 of my lower-ranked DT songs (UA, Paralyzed, Room 137).

[Pettor]

I assume having ADTOE and DT12 ranking that high means the fidelity / mixing isn't an issue for you then? DT12 is at the level where maybe there's a good album there but it's buried in a mix that is almost unlistenable to me. Outcry and LNF from ADTOE I think could also be better song for me if the songs didn't sound that stiff and robotic.

DOT and View fixed most issues I had with the mix that the albums themselves become more listenable than previous Mangini efforts. Well TA sounds good as well.

In regard to View I think the song that easily aged the best is Sleeping Giant for me. The album is good overall, but Alien and Invisible Monster drags down the overall impression and makes me use the skip button sadly. I think View has a lot of the good stuff but should have been a bit more creative with structure. This is one of the biggest issues I have with DT since ADTOE; make the songs into different journeys. Right now, they feel cast in the same mold a bit.

[bosk1]

The mix on those albums has never really been a problem at all.  The mastering on DT12 is somewhat brickwalled, and I remember getting a bit of ear fatigue when listening at high volume.  But I rarely listen that loud, so that issue usually doesn't register. 

Sleeping Giant is probably my top song on View as well.  I might put Answering the Call ahead some days, maybe even the title track as well.  But when it comes down to it, after I am done listening, Sleeping Giant is almost always the one that sticks with me.  I don't find anything on the album "skipable." 

[Pettor]

There's something about the mix that drains something from them music for me. Same on ADTOE, even if that album works better. But I can't stop imagining those albums with the mix of DOT and View. I know 4th Wall isn't loved by everyone but I kind of love that live album and IT just skyrocketed as a favorite for me. On the album I don't get invested in it, but the live album just brings a different energy to it. I do remember IT being godlike when I saw it in concert for that tour as well. People were so energetic and headbanging all over the place, lovely

Answering the Call is awesome. It has a lot of the ingrediens I want from a more straightforward song from DT. If I took the best songs from DOT and View and put them on one album that would arguably be in SFAM and SDOIT territory for me. For the next album I hope they keep a lot of what they are doing on DOT and View but mixed with more wildcard experimentation. Go a bit crazy, do something DT hasn't dared doing. That's all I am missing from View I think.

Actually, typing this today in a very cold, dark autumn day I kind of feel that this album is perfect for this time of the year. It's a darker kind of cozy feeling album almost like Awake in that sense 🤔 Will def take a run through all the songs.

[bosk1]

I know 4th Wall isn't loved by everyone but I kind of love that live album and IT just skyrocketed as a favorite for me.

I LOVE 4th Wall.  But speaking of mix, that is definitely a release where the mix sounds noticeably odd to me.

If I took the best songs from DOT and View and put them on one album that would arguably be in SFAM and SDOIT territory for me. For the next album I hope they keep a lot of what they are doing on DOT and View but mixed with more wildcard experimentation. Go a bit crazy, do something DT hasn't dared doing. That's all I am missing from View I think.

That's an interesting point.  I can point to several things I would say are outside the box experimentation on View.  But what's interesting is that, while I can point to those things intellectually as being different, the album subjectively feels very safe and self-restrained overall.  It's hard to explain that.

[geeeemo]

I know 4th Wall isn't loved by everyone but I kind of love that live album and IT just skyrocketed as a favorite for me.

I LOVE 4th Wall.  But speaking of mix, that is definitely a release where the mix sounds noticeably odd to me.

If I took the best songs from DOT and View and put them on one album that would arguably be in SFAM and SDOIT territory for me. For the next album I hope they keep a lot of what they are doing on DOT and View but mixed with more wildcard experimentation. Go a bit crazy, do something DT hasn't dared doing. That's all I am missing from View I think.

That's an interesting point.  I can point to several things I would say are outside the box experimentation on View.  But what's interesting is that, while I can point to those things intellectually as being different, the album subjectively feels very safe and self-restrained overall.  It's hard to explain that.

I understand what you are saying. If I play The View to others, like the guys in our shop, they just can't hack it. Need to put Ozzy's Boneyard back on. But to me, its not that far out as far as DT goes. It is a more interesting album though than d/t. (aside from AWE). It's denser. More to unpack.

[Pettor]

I know 4th Wall isn't loved by everyone but I kind of love that live album and IT just skyrocketed as a favorite for me.

I LOVE 4th Wall.  But speaking of mix, that is definitely a release where the mix sounds noticeably odd to me.

Haha yes! But isn't that mostly the crowd mix? They are constantly cheering and louder than the music most of the time 😅 Otherwise I like the mix for the actual band. It's a pretty warm mix with maybe a bit too many dynamics, but it does add a certain energy and heaviness that I kind of like.

If I took the best songs from DOT and View and put them on one album that would arguably be in SFAM and SDOIT territory for me. For the next album I hope they keep a lot of what they are doing on DOT and View but mixed with more wildcard experimentation. Go a bit crazy, do something DT hasn't dared doing. That's all I am missing from View I think.

That's an interesting point.  I can point to several things I would say are outside the box experimentation on View.  But what's interesting is that, while I can point to those things intellectually as being different, the album subjectively feels very safe and self-restrained overall.  It's hard to explain that.

Yeah, that's a valid description and most likely more accurate than the wild experimentation thing I argued. Isn't that partly the structure that feels safe? In a sense all songs except the title track follows a similar pattern even if they do so with various twists and turn. It's quite crazy how a song like The Alien can feel safe to me, but it actually does. Crazy instrumentation and twists and turns to no end but for some reason it doesn't do that much that feels new. Which isn't fully a problem either since it's a single and its DT, but I think there's an alternate reality where that song blows my mind just because the structure is a bit more dynamic and builds differently 😁

[jadiggerdt]

is Dreamtheater.net hacked? World tour 2023?

[DreamerTV]

They've just announced a bunch of dates in Europe starting from Jan. 2023

[jadiggerdt]

Will DT visit the cities they didn't visit last time on this trip in 2023?

[DreamerTV]

How should i know?!

[jadiggerdt]

How should i know?!

Yes, why on earth did I ask that question? I know that there are no shamans and clairvoyant people here

[hunnus2000]

How should i know?!

Yes, why on earth did I ask that question? I know that there are no shamans and clairvoyant people here

I knew you were going to say that.... 

[MirrorMask]

Well, for starters in Italy they won't pass by Milan again, so they might indeed have a different cities schedule....