The fifteenth studio album from prog legends Dream Theater finds the Bostonian act with nothing left to prove but still in the form of their lives. At a mighty seventy minutes in length yet featuring a mere seven tracks, A View From the Top of The World (InsideOut Music) explores and probes new ideas while reinventing the past with gleeful abandon. Complex compositions which could seem forced, unwieldy or contrived in the hands of others, Dream Theater pulls off with unerring and enviable ease.
After much teasing on social media, Progressive Metal legends Dream Theater has announced their new album, their 15th, dubbed A View From The Top Of The World, due out on October 22nd, 2021 via InsideOut Music. The album is composed of seven-songs with artwork created by long-time cover collaborator Hugh Syme (Rush, Iron Maiden, Stone Sour). A View From The Top Of The World was produced by John Petrucci, engineered and additional production by James “Jimmy T” Meslin, and mixed/mastered by Andy Sneap.
Progressive Metal legends Dream Theater have shared a new live performance video, “Fatal Tragedy”, from their upcoming live album Distant Memories – Live In London. Pre-orders are live at the link below. .The video is taken from the second set of the show where James LaBrie, John Petrucci, Jordan Rudess, John Myung and Mike Mangini celebrate the band’s seminal concept album Metropolis Part 2 – Scenes From A Memory. Watch “Fatal Tragedy” now!
Berklee College of Music, one of the most prestigious music schools in the world, and Progressive Metal masters Dream Theater have announced the Dream Theater Scholarship Fund. In celebration of the band’s 35th anniversary, Dream Theater and Berklee are creating a fund that will provide scholarship money to student musicians in need on an ongoing basis through the future. Recently, alumni John Petrucci ’86 (guitarist) and wife Rena (who recently completed her Berklee online Advanced Guitar Certificate) visited Berklee to tour the production and music studios of the college. This trip was the couple’s first time back to the campus since their son Reny graduated in 2018. While there, they met with Berklee president Roger Brown and discussed the founding of the Dream Theater Scholarship.Continue reading
All this week Ghost Cult been sharing EXCLUSIVE content from Into The Great Divide. Led by Zack Zalon, this is a must know project for progressive metalheads everywhere. Their current self-titled album is a concept album that tells a story, and each track is narrated like chapters. Ghost Cult brings you the backstory behind each song, in the form of additional previously-unreleased bonus tracks, fleshing out the narrative of the story. In this final segment, the tracks explore rebounding from the depths of loss to discover new perspectives. Continue reading
Ghost Cult has partnered with Into The Great Divide to bring you the EXCLUSIVE backstory behind each track of their self-titled new album. In the vein of the best instrumental progressive metal albums, Into The Great is a concept album with a heavy plot, and each track is narrated, like a chapter in a story. Ghost Cult brings you the EXCLUSIVE backstory behind each song, in the form of additional tracks, fleshing out the narrative. Continue reading
Into The Great Divide released a progressive metal masterwork on January 26th,, a self-titled album that is the sole-vision of emerging artist Zack Zalon. The project is a re-interpretation Joseph Campbell’s classic and influential 1949 archetype The Hero’s Journey into 10 musical chapters. Musically the DNA has a lot in common with the best instrumental progressive metal albums, complete with story narration. The album was produced by Richard Chycki (Dream Theater, Rush) and features Mike Mangini of Dream Theater on drums. Ghost Cult is partnering with the band this week to bring you the EXCLUSIVE backstory behind each song in the form of additional tracks, fleshing out the narrative. Stay tuned to our site and our social media channels for more content from Into The Great Divide. Continue reading
“The unknown beckons us to take leave of the norm and embark on journeys of all kinds.” And so begins the journey into the instrumental progressive rock novel Into The Great Divide, due out January 26th. The project, whose mastermind has not revealed himself, re-interprets Joseph Campbell’s classic and influential 1949 archetype The Hero’s Journey. Produced by Richard Chycki (Dream Theater, Rush) and featuring Mike Mangini of Dream Theater on drums, the goal of the release is “to tell the story across 10 individual chapters, each constructed independently to evoke the specific characteristics of that part of the story.”
We got our first taste of the material when they released the ‘Tests & Enemies’ single a few weeks ago, and today we have the exclusive premiere of another chapter. Continue reading
Dream Theater 10-7-2016
Live At The Hanover Theater, Worcester, MA
All Photos By Matt Lambert/Trebmal Photography
It seemed that fans of Dream Theater were torn between the performance of their two and a half hour opus and new album, The Astonishing (Roadrunner). Fans always want to hear classic songs along side the new ones, but you can’t always get what you want. Call it a concept album or rock opera, whichever you prefer, it was a damn fine night of music.
Aided by an impressive video wall to bring the story of “The Great Northern Empire of the Americas” to life, you felt like as if you were watching a movie with a live soundtrack. Guitarist and story mastermind John Petrucci along with his ever growing beard, played the heaviest mix of acoustic an electric guitar throughout the night I’ve ever seen him do. ‘The Answer’ clearly demonstrates that statement. From ‘The Gift of Music’ to the title track, James LaBrie’s vocals just drew you into the world of Nomacs and musical rebellion. With song a like ‘A New Beginning’, it covers the spectrum of darkness and light that the album portraits. As well as some solid bass grooving from John Myung too.
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After a fifteen minute intermission, they returned to the stage for the second half of the this massive album. Drummer, Mike Mangini just makes everything look easy, we get a few flourishes for insanity on ‘Moment of Betrayal’ and on ‘Three Days’. The second half of the creative team Jordan Rudess, brought his atmospheric tones is the bridge from song to song. He carries the themes and regal-ness through ‘Brother, Can You Hear Me’ and ‘Begin Again’. Overall, the show was good if you were prepared just to hear this album. Simple in some parts complex in others, “The Astonishing Live” was the right show for a venue like Radio City Music Hall.
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WORDS AND PHOTOS BY OMAR CORDY
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