Dream Theater Announce New Album and Tour
Following yesterday’s tease that Dream Theater would announce big news today, they’ve gone and done just that: a new album and tour are both on the way soon.
The album, Dream Theater’s 15th, will be called A View From The Top Of The World and will come out on October 22. The artwork (above) was created by longtime collaborator Hugh Syme, while the music was produced by John Petrucci, engineered (with additional production) by James “Jimmy T” Meslin and mixed/mastered by the legendary Andy Sneap.
Petrucci previously revealed that he uses 8-string guitars on this record for the first time and that it’s “filled with energy and excitement and positivity.” He explained in an interview back in April:
“We just wrapped recording of that. We had been working on that since October. And I am super excited about it. It’s not gonna come out till later this year. We don’t have any release-date information yet, obviously, as we do, we’ll let everybody know. But I am just really, really excited.
“The pandemic has been hard on a lot of people in the world, and as far as the way it’s affected musicians, everybody wants to play — everybody’s pent up; there’s no live performances. So I feel like, with all these records that we’re doing in the studio, the Dream Theater guys came to play. So the record [is] filled with energy and excitement and positivity. I’m excited about it. I can’t wait for people to hear that.”
Drummer Mike Mangini, who has been in the band since 2010, participated more in the writing process this time around.
Here’s the track list, including the 20-minute-plus title track:
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)
In addition to the album, the band has announced a North American tour set to kick off in late October and run through mid-December. Dates are below, with tickets available here: