Dream Theater have announced a new album, A View from the Top of the World, out October 22nd. The prog-metal veterans will also embark on a 2021 North American tour this fall.
The band’s 15th studio album arrives two years after 2019’s Distance Over Time, keeping up the prolific pace its maintained for over 30 years. In fact, the pandemic may have actually shortened the gap between records, in this instance.
Dream Theater were on tour in support of Distance Over Time when they were forced to head home — vocalist James LaBrie returned to Canada while the remaining members holed up in their newly built “DTHQ” studio in New York to work on new music.
The band still managed to write together, with LaBrie beaming in from Canada on Zoom via an in-studio monitor. He would eventually head down to New York, quarantining himself before arriving to the studio to record his vocals face-to-face with guitarist John Petrucci.
“We just love to play our instruments,” Petrucci said in a press release. “That never goes away. I love to be creative, write, and exercise that part of my mind. We’ve been able to do this for a long time, and we don’t take it for granted. Whenever we get together, we know we can’t disappoint ourselves or our fans, so we manage to try even harder.”
“We approach every album like it’s our first,” added LaBrie. “It’s been such a great ride, but we’re not going to stop.”
The prog luminaries will return to the road shortly after the release of the new album. The band’s “Top of the World Tour” kicks off on October 28th in Mesa, Arizona, and runs through a December 14th date in St. Petersburg, Florida. Arch Echo will provide support.
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A View from the Top of the World was produced by John Petrucci and engineered by James “Jimmy T” Meslin, who also provided additional production. Andy Sneap mixed and mastered the recordings. The artwork was once again handled by longtime collaborator and prog sleeve auteur Hugh Syme.
Get tickets to Dream Theaters’ fall 2021 North American tour via Ticketmaster. See the album artwork and seven-song tracklist for A View from the Top of the World, as well as the list of tour dates, below.
A View from the Top of the World Artwork:
A View from the Top of the World Tracklist:
01. The Alien
02. Answering the Call
03. Invisible Monster
04. Sleeping Giant
05. Transcending Time
06. Awaken The Master
07. A View From The Top of the World
Dream Theater 2021 Tour Dates with Arch Echo:
10/28 – Mesa, AZ @ Mesa Arts Center
10/29 – San Diego, CA @ San Diego Civic Theater
10/30 – Los Angeles, CA @ Microsoft Theater
11/01 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
11/02 – Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
11/04 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
11/06 – Denver, CO @ Paramount
11/08 – Minneapolis, MN @ State Theatre
11/09 – Milwaukee, WI @ Miller High Life Theatre
11/11 – Chicago, IL @ The Chicago Theatre
11/12 – Akron, OH @ Goodyear Theater
11/13 – Toronto, ON @ Meridian Hall
11/15 – Ottawa, ON @ National Arts Centre
11/16 – Quebec City, QC @ Grand Theatre de Quebec
11/17 – Laval, QC @ Place Bell
11/19 – Rochester, NY @ Kodak Center
11/20 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia
11/21 – Washington, DC @ Warner Theatre
11/23 – Boston, MA @ Boch Center – Wang Theatre
11/28 – Wallingford, CT @ Toyota Oakdale Theatre
11/29 – Red Bank, NJ @ Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre
11/30 – Brooklyn, NY @ Kings Theatre
12/02 – Charlotte, NC @ Ovens Auditorium
12/03 – Cincinnati, OH @ The Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center
12/04 – St Louis, MO @ Peabody Opera House
12/06 – Nashville, TN @ Grand Ole Opry House
12/07 – Atlanta, GA @ Coca-Cola Roxy
12/09 – Dallas, TX @ Three Links Deep Ellum
12/10 – Austin, TX @ ACL Live at The Moody Theater
12/11 – Houston, TX @ Revention Music Center
12/13 – Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Live
12/14 – Saint Petersburg, FL @ Mahaffey Theater
