Unfortunately, not a masterpiece, but a Dream Theater album ...

... And that is saying something!
Man, I was happy when I got the album at last. Of course, it went straight in the CD player. And with A Nightmare To Remember was my expectation that Dream Theater have still not been delivered their best album (I think the majority of DT albums awesome, but if one is aware of the extreme skill of the musician is a conscious always that there still potential for more), provisionally true! What a brilliant piece: the first five minutes of a hardness that is reminiscent of Train Of Thoughts and simply leaves a sitting with his mouth open. The nice quiet middle section is able to get a good rest, until finally Linked with some solo passages at the beginning, with Mike Portnoy towards the end even be carried away by the first blast beats in the history of Dream Theater. What a great opener! I am amazed every time at the end again that again 16 minutes to. :-)
With A Rite Of Passage, it takes a while before it can fallen since the first verse is not that great sounding distorted with James LaBries vocals. But after the wonderful chorus it goes even further just as great. Where A Nightmare To Remember has ignited immediately, needs A Rite Of Passage a few tries, but all in all a pointed song!
With Wither is a very short for Dream Theater ratios ballad that also convinced! Only one thinks slowly, in what direction the album goes, because after all, but consistently expected Harder at the beginning.
With The Shatteres Fortress is the last part of Mike Portnoy's 12 Step Suite, which unfortunately is only a medley of 4 previous songs, partly arranged differently, but it is not new music.
The Best Of Times, which Mike Portnoy during the recording of this album is dedicated to his late father, is again a very nice title, which is a real catchy tune by great melodies and especially by John Petrucci grandiose solo! But even still a rather quiet song compared to ANTR No problem as long as the music is so great, only then comes ...
The Count Of Tuscany, a song with which I can start today not really a lot, although I've often heard it, there was the last DT albums no song that I did not like even after a long time. Especially the 2-3 minutes in the middle where you can hear only sounds and not really what happens. Something like that there were already times at the start of Octavarium, but by far better!

So, it would have been a wonderful album, if you had written instead of a medley still a new final part of the AA-suite and another piece instead of The Count Of Tuscany. Too bad, because the remaining four songs the sharp first half of a super genius album could have been. I remember exactly how I thrilled at the first hearing of A Nightmare To Remember was!

The cover songs on the 2.CD are a great idea, and I as far as we know, only the original of the three Queen songs. These songs are at least implemented optimally and particularly James LaBrie convinces with a voice that I'd love to hear more often in Dream Theater as this sometimes going to the pain limit screaming (especially live).

The instrumental version of the album on the 3.CD should have been likely to listen before the album, because it then action is not really interesting, because simply too much missing. But, as I said, in retrospect, I would have the instrumental versions consulted before the originals.

Oh, by the way, the technical skills of the men Petrucci, Portnoy & Rudess was, of course, as always, at the highest level!