Dream Theater release animated music video for “The Alien”

Photo (c) Rayon Richards

Following the recent announcement of their 15th studio album “A View From The Top Of The World ” , two-time GRAMMY-nominated and million-selling progressive music titans Dream Theater have released the first piece of music from the album slated for release on October 22 via InsideOutMusic / Sony Music. “The Alien” is the opener of the band’s upcoming album and showcases the energy the band had after reuniting to begin work on the new record.

‘It’s the first one we wrote together. It gives people a window into what it was like when we initially met up after all of those months off. It has the adventure, the untraditional structure, the heaviness, and the hooks. It really set the tone for the album,’ explains John Petrucci. ‘James wrote the lyrics about the idea of terraforming and looking beyond our Earth for alternative settlements. Since we’re going beyond our planet, “The Alien” turns out to be us. I thought it was a cool and creative lyric by James.’

Dream Theater – “The Alien”

“A View From The Top Of The World” will be available in various configurations including a limited Deluxe Box incl. Gatefold 2LP (180g bright gold vinyl) with exclusive alternate cover, limited deluxe 2CD+Blu-ray Artbook with exclusive alternate cover, Zoetrope Slipmat, Beanie, Enamel Keychain, 8 x Artcards, Poster, Hand-Numbered Certificate of Authenticity in a Lift-off Lid Box. The album is also available in a limited Deluxe 2CD+Blu-ray Artbook, Special Edition CD Digipak, Gatefold 180g 2LP+CD+LP-booklet. The Blu-ray contains a 5.1 surround sound mix with full album animations, plus “Digging For A Spark – A View From Inside DTHQ”, a specially filmed documentary that gives a glimpse behind the scenes of the band’s new home-base and the making of the new album.

The album will also be available digitally and fans that pre-order the digital version will receive an instant download of “The Alien.” 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 and available for pre-order here.

Dream Theater – comprised of James LaBrie, John Petrucci, Jordan Rudess, John Myung and Mike Mangini – was in the middle of a sold-out world tour in support of their last release “Distance Over Time” and the 20th anniversary of “Scenes From A Memory” when a Global Pandemic brought the world to a stop. The musicians found themselves at home with LaBrie in Canada and the rest of the group in the States. As fate would have it, they’d just finished construction on DTHQ (Dream Theater Headquarters) —a combination live recording studio, rehearsal space, control room, equipment storage, and creative hive. With LaBrie in Canada, he initially wrote with the band via ZOOM on a monitor in DTHQ. In March 2021, he flew down to New York, quarantined, and recorded his vocals face-to-face with Petrucci. The album ultimately threaded together lean and uncompromising hooks with tried-and-true technical proficiency.

Tracklisting “A View From The Top Of The World”:

1) The Alien (9:32)
2) Answering The Call (7:35)
3) Invisible Monster (6:31)
4) Sleeping Giant (10:05)
5) Transcending Time (6:25)
6) Awaken The Master (9:47)
7) A View From The Top Of The World (20:24)
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