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"With "A View From The Top Of The World", Dream Theater shows with class that the kings of progressive metal are not ready to be dethroned."
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5/5
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The cover of Dream Theater's fifteenth album represents the Kjeragbolten, a strange rock wedged between two cliffs in the Kjerag mountain in Norway. To reach it is a real challenge for hikers and requires an excellent physical condition. From there to see it as a metaphor of what awaits you when listening to "A View From The Top Of The World", there is only one step that can be easily crossed. Frustrated by the absence of tours due to the pandemic, the band has put all its energy into the composition of a resolutely progressive metal album, in all its complexity and in the literal sense of the word, because if this new album is in the continuity of "Distance Over Time", it is even more metal.
No ballads, monstrous riffs, titanic compositions, a technique inaccessible to the vast majority of musicians on the planet, no doubt, the Americans are in an Olympic shape. The opening title, 'The Alien', is enough to define what makes the strength of Dream Theater: a drastic musical requirement, a quality of execution out of the common and superb melodies driven by a John Petrucci who, once again, imposes all his talent and all his class. And so much the worse if some reproach it to them in the name of the sacrosanct and arch-rebated absence of feeling, which, in this precise case as in many others, does not have any direction. After 35 years of career, the band has known for a long time that the most important thing is to compose music that resembles them and that will satisfy the fans, the real ones. And there is no doubt that this album is reserved for them.
Of course, Dream Theater does Dream Theater, even to the point of flirting with nostalgia on 'Invisible Monster' which refers to the compositions that the band could write in the 90s. But there again, it is so well done that it is impossible to reproach it. Especially since "A View From The Top Of The World" was composed in total freedom and without any constraint. The titans of progressive metal now have their own fully equipped HQ, the DTHQ (Dream Theater Headquarters), a place where John Petrucci's solo album, "Terminal Velocity" and the latest Liquid Tension Experiment, "Lte3", have already been composed, and which allows them to maintain a real cohesion between the band members.
This cohesion is obvious in more than one way. First of all in the Dantesque guitar-keyboard duels during which it is sometimes very difficult to distinguish between the two instruments, so much the play of Jordan Rudess is more and more in tune with that of Petrucci ('Answering The Call', 'Sleeping Giant'). Then in the irreproachable production of the album which really does justice to the work of John Myung on the bass. Last but not least, because maybe for the first time in ten years, Mike Mangini takes a central place in the band, to the point of almost making us rediscover what an exceptional drummer he is ('The Alien').
Resolutely metal and very heavy (the 8-string lead riff of 'Awaken The Master'), this fifteenth album of Dream Theater is devastating and even globally more joyful and optimistic than usual (the excellent 'Transcending Time'), which doesn't spoil anything and adds to the pleasure that the fans will take to play it over and over again to discover all the nuggets. Only perhaps the epic 'A View From The Top Of The World', from the top of its 20 minutes, remains finally the least convincing track of the album, because of a structure a little less elaborated than the average (for Dream Theater) in spite of a superb atmospheric bridge. Nevertheless, this album is undoubtedly a must of the year and the kings of progressive metal are not ready to be dethroned. - Official website
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TRACK LISTING:
 01. The Alien (9:32)
02. Answering The Call (7:35)
03. Invisible Monster (6:31)
04. Sleeping Giant (10:05)
05. Transcending Time (6:25)
06. Awaken The Master (9:47)
07. A View From The Top Of The World (20:24)
LINEUP:
James Labrie: Chant
John Myung: Basse
John Petrucci: Guitares
Jordan Rudess: Claviers
Mike Mangini: Batterie
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(0) MIND(S) FROM OUR READERS
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Top of the page
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(2) COMMENT(S)
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Avec son dernier opus, DT nous livre un brûlot qui tire plus sur le métal que sur le progressif. La qualité est bien entendu au rendez-vous, chaque titre pris individuellement est une pépite. Mais même si le sens de la mélodie est toujours présente, et si certains morceaux offrent fort heureusement une respiration, l'enchaînement à marche forcée finit par lasser et rend l'écoute d'une traite ardue. A ce titre, dommage qu'il n'y en ait pas un (de titre) qui permette de se reposer les esgourdes. Autre problème, cela tourne parfois à la démonstration technique et franchement, DT n'en a pas besoin, ça va les gars on sait que vous jouez sur une autre planète, inutile d'en rajouter 
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Rédiger une critique du dernier Dream theater n'est pas simple pour plusieurs raisons :
Tout d'abord en raison de la longueur des titres : rester concentré pendant 10 minutes d'affilée sur un même morceau ( voire 20 pour le dernier !) demande un effort certain, l'absence de respiration entre deux titres de 4 à 5 minutes exige une attention particulière pour bien appréhender chaque titre...
Ensuite bien accepter chaque intro de 2 minutes minimum pour accéder au corps de la chanson : et lorsque LaBrie entame sa mélodie,je la trouve généralement moins harmonieuse que le phrasé musical de Petrucci ou l'aria de Rudess ( un comble !)
Enfin, même si je suis admiratif ( comment ne pas l'être ?) du talent et de la technicité hors-norme des musicos,il me manque un peu de feeling, de fragilité,de chaleur peut être ( mais c'est du métal prog,donc plus froid me direz vous !)
En résumé, j'ai préféré les morceaux plus courts sans faire l'impasse sur le somptueux final de 20 minutes avec les réserves émises précédemment... à titre de comparaison Distance over time avec ses morceaux plus compacts m'avait réconcilié avec le genre...
Ça se voit pas mais malgré tout, je prends et je déguste....
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Top of the page
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READERS
4.1/5 (20 view(s))
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STAFF:
4.1/5 (8 view(s))
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IN RELATION WITH DREAM THEATER
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LAST INTERVIEW
DREAM THEATER ( FEBRUARY 2019)
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For the release of "Wired Of Madness", Jordan Rudess' new album, the keyboard player talked with Music Waves about "Distance Over Time" by Dream Theater
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OTHER REVIEWS
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OTHER(S) REVIEWS ABOUT DREAM THEATER
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