Track by track first impressions.
The Alien: I had listened to this song a couple of times right after it was released as a single, and while I thought it was decent, it wasn’t anything special. That’s ok, because all Dream Theater has to do to get me hyped for a new release is announce it. With them being my favorite band of all time, every album they put out is a day one purchase for me, so singles are useless. After the first week, I avoided this song entirely in an effort to keep it fresh. That paid off as it makes more sense within the context of the album, and is a great opener. Right now it’s probably my least favorite song on the album, but that says more about the rest of the songs than about itself.
Answering the Call: I have the least to say about this one. It’s a good song but isn’t anything groundbreaking. This might end up being my least favorite after further listens as I feel it does the least, so there’s much less to sink my teeth into.
Invisible Monster: Similar to The Alien, I listened to this a couple of times upon its release as a single, then avoided it until the album came out. I absolutely adore the main guitar lick, it’s actually similar to something I would write, which made it feel comfortable despite the strange note choices. After three songs, my impression of the album was that it’s good but not great…
Sleeping Giant: …and then this song comes in and instantly hooks me. Seriously, that intro, the main guitar riff, the atmosphere in the verses, the instrumental break, everything. This will become a live staple for years to come, because it’s the perfect Dream Theater song. It has everything you could want while sounding fresh. Early contender for best song on the album and the best song they’ve written since Breaking All Illusions.
Transcending Time: No band is better at imitating Rush than Dream Theater. Every time they do a song like this, you can hear the love John Petrucci has for Rush, and when they do shorter songs, I generally prefer this sound over the heavier sound. My only complaint is the shredding part of the guitar solo, as I tend to not like fast, high pitched guitar playing. This has to do with my ears being sensitive to treble heavy frequencies (I really was built to play bass), but that’s not something someone can account for when writing obviously, and the playing and phrasing are, as always, perfect. John Petrucci is the best guitarist on the planet. Whether he’s in his comfort zone or trying something new, he makes every note he plays count, which leads to…
Awaken the Master: This song, above every other track on the album, is the one I was most curious about. Eight string guitars when used correctly broaden the possibilities for what a guitarist can do. When used incorrectly, which more often than not is the case, do nothing except impede on my territory and muddy the sound. John Petrucci of course used it correctly. A few things helped me enjoy this more than any other use of an eight string by a band not named Haken. First, the decision to have higher pitched keyboards on top of the low string riffs helps direct the ear to the chord changes even through the most bass empty speakers. Second, John Myung was given plenty of time to shine, with the entire second verse led by his bass playing. Third, the vocal melodies are given space to breathe, with beautiful harmonies keeping the song from being an onslaught of riffs. Fourth, John Petrucci doesn’t stay on the lowest strings for the whole song. He takes solos up high, and plays some riffs on the middle strings, utilizing the entire range of the guitar. Once again, John Petrucci is the best guitarist on the planet, and his first use of an eight string led to one hell of a song.
A View From the Top of the World: I’m a sucker for long songs. That’s evidenced by my favorite song of all time being 24 minutes long. With that said, Illumination Theory was a bit of a disappointment. I still enjoy the song, it’s in my top 50 Dream Theater songs, but it’s definitely their weakest epic. Finally, after eight years and two albums without a song over ten minutes, this album gives us two, and they’re the two best songs on the album. This song just feels epic but without the bombast of some of the other 20 plus minute songs in their discography. Instead, we get a more reserved and reflective sound, which really works for this one. That intro is one of the best sections of music they’ve done ever, and despite being episodic in nature, the song flows well. That riff about two thirds of the way through the song made my smile instantly. The second it hit I felt like adrenaline was shot into my heart. Nobody writes long song quite like Dream Theater. All six of their previous 20+ minute songs reside in my top 50, with four of them (Octavarium, The Count of Tuscany, A Change of Seasons, and Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence) in my top 10. It’s too early to tell where A View From the Top of the World fits in there. I definitely like it better than Illumination Theory and I definitely don’t like it better than Octavarium. Where it slots with the other four epics remains to be seen, but on its own, it’s incredible.
This album is gonna be a classic. The last four songs are definitely better than the first three, but there’s not a weak track to be found. I like it more than Distance Over Time. I like it more than The Astonishing. I definitely like it more than the self titled record. As for A Dramatic Turn of Events? I’ll need quite a few more listens before I can decide which of these is the best Mangini era album. A View From the Top of the World has two songs, Sleeping Giant and the title track, that easily make my top 50. Awaken the Master probably makes it, too. A Dramatic Turn of Events also has three songs in my top 50 (Breaking All Illusions, Bridges in the Sky, and Beneath the Surface) but Sleeping Giant and the title track from the new record blow past everything on A Dramatic Turn of Events besides Breaking All Illusions, which for the time being remains as my favorite Mangini era song, at least until I get more familiar with the new record. But overall, A View From the Top of the World easily lands in the top half of Dream Theater’s discography for me.
Topic: *Official* A View from the Top of the World discussion thread (Read 143165 times)