DT15: A View From The Top Of The World (Timeline for DT15)

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

next 7 days is going to be painful lol. I am hoping that Amazon ships my album early. I am getting the impression that people think the 2 singles are the weakest songs on the record, which would be great.

invisible monster is def the worst song on the record

Which is the best?

[Fritzinger]

Does the album (especially the epic) have some insane instrumental atonal-like sections, like ITPOE (the reckoning), or that sick section form Haken's Crystallized?

I hope I'm allowed to say this, otherwise please delete!

Yes it does.

[Bacong]

next 7 days is going to be painful lol. I am hoping that Amazon ships my album early. I am getting the impression that people think the 2 singles are the weakest songs on the record, which would be great.

invisible monster is def the worst song on the record

Which is the best?

they're all very similar.

[DTwwbwMP]

next 7 days is going to be painful lol. I am hoping that Amazon ships my album early. I am getting the impression that people think the 2 singles are the weakest songs on the record, which would be great.

invisible monster is def the worst song on the record

DEFINITELY!

[Glasser]

next 7 days is going to be painful lol. I am hoping that Amazon ships my album early. I am getting the impression that people think the 2 singles are the weakest songs on the record, which would be great.

invisible monster is def the worst song on the record

DEFINITELY!

I actually love both singles. I think you will appreciate them more listening to the album start to finish. The problem with singles, especially in this genre is we have a tendency to dissect every damn note because we are trying to decode where the album is headed. Truth is when you hear the full album you have more to digest and less time to sit with a single for weeks of frustration.

[geeeemo]

next 7 days is going to be painful lol. I am hoping that Amazon ships my album early. I am getting the impression that people think the 2 singles are the weakest songs on the record, which would be great.

invisible monster is def the worst song on the record

DEFINITELY!

I actually love both singles. I think you will appreciate them more listening to the album start to finish. The problem with singles, especially in this genre is we have a tendency to dissect every damn note because we are trying to decode where the album is headed. Truth is when you hear the full album you have more to digest and less time to sit with a single for weeks of frustration.

This could be true for some, but when I came on board to DT music, they had all their discography thru TA. I got into them by bouncing around all the albums, finding favorite songs. Then after awhile would listen to the entire album to see if there was more great stuff. Only Scenes and TA bettered themselves by listening to them as a whole for me. However, there were Numerous songs that took loads of listens to "get". And many (Octavarium, BAI, This is the Life for example) became favorites later.

[SeRoX]

According to most reviews I've read there is less hype about the title song but more hype for Sleeping Giant and Awaken the Master. For DoT, the band seemed to hype about Pale Blue DoT but people like At Wit's End and even Barstool Warrior more.

We'll see how it goes in one week.

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

I think PBD was pretty darn popular

[Blazinarps]

Does the album (especially the epic) have some insane instrumental atonal-like sections, like ITPOE (the reckoning), or that sick section form Haken's Crystallized?

I hope I'm allowed to say this, otherwise please delete!

Yes it does.

I was surprised the *Mozart section* was so atonal.

[dparrott]

Or if you subscribe to a streaming service it'll probably be available there at midnight.

Yeah I use a streaming service. My question was regarding having a hard copy for the road trip.

Yea good luck streaming this album on a road trip!    That's a looooot of data.  If there's a reason for CD's to be made it's DT.

[Trav86]

Has anyone heard anything from lasercd.com about when the art book will ship?

[Glasser]

Has anyone heard anything from lasercd.com about when the art book will ship?

Hit them up, Ken answers emails pretty quickly.

[Architeuthis]

next 7 days is going to be painful lol. I am hoping that Amazon ships my album early. I am getting the impression that people think the 2 singles are the weakest songs on the record, which would be great.

invisible monster is def the worst song on the record

DEFINITELY!

Well if invisible monster is the worst song, then that's great news!  I love that song, so it means that it's all up hill from there and the album is gonna be amazing..   

[TAC]

next 7 days is going to be painful lol. I am hoping that Amazon ships my album early. I am getting the impression that people think the 2 singles are the weakest songs on the record, which would be great.

invisible monster is def the worst song on the record

DEFINITELY!

Well if invisible monster is the worst song, then that's great news!  I love that song, so it means that it's all up hill from there and the album is gonna be amazing..   

It's better than the worst song on every other Mangini Era album.

[Trav86]

next 7 days is going to be painful lol. I am hoping that Amazon ships my album early. I am getting the impression that people think the 2 singles are the weakest songs on the record, which would be great.

invisible monster is def the worst song on the record

DEFINITELY!

Well if invisible monster is the worst song, then that's great news!  I love that song, so it means that it's all up hill from there and the album is gonna be amazing..   

It's better than the worst song on every other Mangini Era album.

I hadn’t thought about it. But, yeah.

[sfam2112]

Has anyone heard anything from lasercd.com about when the art book will ship?

Hit them up, Ken answers emails pretty quickly.

Indeed. I got a fast reply. This is the response I got:

We start shipping this Monday and Tuesday.

[UndercoverMyung]

https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/dream-theater-keyboardist-says-first-two-singles-from-a-view-from-the-top-of-the-world-are-not-fully-representative-of-album/

"DREAM THEATER Keyboardist Says First Two Singles From 'A View From The Top Of The World' Are Not Fully Representative Of Album"

"So anybody who's listening to this and hasn't heard the album yet, know that there's a whole lot more going on stylistically than either of those songs."

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

next 7 days is going to be painful lol. I am hoping that Amazon ships my album early. I am getting the impression that people think the 2 singles are the weakest songs on the record, which would be great.

invisible monster is def the worst song on the record

DEFINITELY!

Well if invisible monster is the worst song, then that's great news!  I love that song, so it means that it's all up hill from there and the album is gonna be amazing..   

It's better than the worst song on every other Mangini Era album.

Actually that is a great way of thinking about it! It is indeed better than Build Me Up, Along for the Ride, every song on the Astonishing, but hmmm...Distance Over Time? I'd say the weakest song there is Fall Into the Light, Room 137 or Viper King. It's a close call tbh.

[TAC]

Fall Into The Light is awesome!!


I'd take Invisible Monster over Room 137, Out Of Reach, and Paralyzed.

[KevShmev]

Fall into the Light might be the best song of the Mangini era.  I would say it is in that convo with At Wit's End, Three Days, Ravenskill, Bridges in the Sky and Breaking All Illusions.

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

Fall Into The Light is awesome!!


I'd take Invisible Monster over Room 137, Out Of Reach, and Paralyzed.

I really like the instrumental section on FITL. I think it's the chorus that I don't like.

Maybe IM is better than Room 137 though I've begun to appreciate that groove more. I think Out of Reach might be DT's most underrated ballad.

[SeRoX]

Musically one of the best but it suffers lacking interesting vocal melodies.

[TAC]

Invisible Monster sounds like it could've come off of DT12. I'm honestly surprised at the grief it's getting.

Like DTwwbwMP says, if IM is the worst song, this is a hell of an album.

https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/dream-theater-keyboardist-says-first-two-singles-from-a-view-from-the-top-of-the-world-are-not-fully-representative-of-album/

"DREAM THEATER Keyboardist Says First Two Singles From 'A View From The Top Of The World' Are Not Fully Representative Of Album"

"So anybody who's listening to this and hasn't heard the album yet, know that there's a whole lot more going on stylistically than either of those songs."

I feel like JR  has maybe heard some criticisms. I don't know why else he'd say something like this. I feel like The Alien is exactly representative of the album.

I think Out of Reach might be DT's most underrated ballad.

I think Out Of Reach is literally one of the worst songs they've ever done.

[UndercoverMyung]

Invisible Monster sounds like it could've come off of DT12. I'm honestly surprised at the grief it's getting.

Like DTwwbwMP says, if IM is the worst song, this is a hell of an album.

https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/dream-theater-keyboardist-says-first-two-singles-from-a-view-from-the-top-of-the-world-are-not-fully-representative-of-album/

"DREAM THEATER Keyboardist Says First Two Singles From 'A View From The Top Of The World' Are Not Fully Representative Of Album"

"So anybody who's listening to this and hasn't heard the album yet, know that there's a whole lot more going on stylistically than either of those songs."

I feel like JR  has maybe heard some criticisms. I don't know why else he'd say something like this. I feel like The Alien is exactly representative of the album.

I think Out of Reach might be DT's most underrated ballad.

I think Out Of Reach is literally one of the worst songs they've ever done.

He actually says later in the interview that The Alien is a good representation of the album compared to IM.

[TAC]

Well, there you go!

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

I could see Alien being representative. I just hope the rest is a little less predictable than Alien

[darkshade]

I'm not saying Out Of Reach is amazing, but it has its moments.

I like ADTOE, but the only songs I cherry pick with any regularity since ADTOE is:

Barstool Warrior
Viper King
Behind the Veil
At Wit's End

[SeRoX]

I think Out Of Reach is literally one of the worst songs they've ever done.

One of the best, I think. It's because OOR is the only song that has Kevin Moore touch. (Sorry, I miss Kevin's melodies so much.) Kinda darker, haunting and yet simple sound. I just love it.

[KevShmev]

I love Out of Reach. That is my probably my 3rd favorite from the last album behind Fall into the Light and At Wit's End. 

[TAC]

I'm not saying Out Of Reach is amazing, but it has its moments.

Yeah, the moment it ends.

I could see Alien being representative. I just hope the rest is a little less predictable than Alien

I don't find The Alien predictable at all. It took me a number of listens to figure it out.

[UndercoverMyung]

Well, there you go!

Yeah I probably should've said that in my original comment about the article 
My bad

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

One thing I will say about Alien...I like the lyrics and the subject matter a lot. The lyrics have gotten better and better since BCSL.

[darkshade]

I'm not saying Out Of Reach is amazing, but it has its moments.

Yeah, the moment it ends.

I could see Alien being representative. I just hope the rest is a little less predictable than Alien

I don't find The Alien predictable at all. It took me a number of listens to figure it out.

I like the JP lead. I would have preferred it as a softer ballad.
Serox mentioned Kevin Moore influence, and I agree. I hear OOR progressing and it's like, "don't Systematic Chaos my Kevin Moore" when I hear Out of Reach.

[lovethedrake]

Love out of reach.  Sounds like a 90’s dream theater ballad which is a very good thing.

[erwinrafael]

The last word I would use to describe The Alien is predictable.