I've had the album for weeks to prepare a review for a local (German) magazine. In addition to that, here's my personal take on it in English. I wrote this a month ago and after listening to the album a lot more, I stand by it more than ever:
The upcoming Dream Theater album "A View from the Top of the World" is easily the best thing they have done in ages. It may well be the best one since Images and Words. The nice thing about this is that it essentially confirms my long-held opinion that while I enjoyed a lot of their output, they were always staying way behind their full potential. Because they were rushing the creative process. Or because they were chasing trends. Or pandering to certain target groups. But this new album is different. It is wonderfully uncompromising without feeling excessive. It is focused in a way they haven't been since, well - see above! It is heavy without feeling forced or monochromatic. It has melody, catchy choruses and mellower moments, but no ballads and no obvious singles. What it does have is lots of little details, sounds, and rhythmic patterns that feel decidedly fresh for them without giving up their musical identity. It has songs with unusual song structures that feel carefully and organically developed. It (finally!) has impeccable sound courtesy of Andy Sneap. And it has Mike Mangini at last delivering the standout performance I'd been waiting for ever since he joined the band - powerful, inventive, multi-layered, full of attitude and always 100% in the moment. 35 years into their career, Dream Theater have indeed created the late masterpiece I always thought they still had in them - if only they approached a new album with the right mindset and enough time for songwriting. And make no mistake: This is as far from "old men's rock" as it gets!