I was just remembering how good of a band Dream theater was and I wanted to take the time to properly listen to a Dream Theater song and I decided to try "A Nightmare to Remember." At first, like any other song, I just went over it, not really thinking about the song, but when I took the time to read the lyrics and try paying attention to the song, it really changed my perspective.
My first perspective was that it was an average song with good melodies here and good melodies there and that oh so horrifying vocal part by Mike Portnoy. I simply dismissed as any other song.
The next time I heard it, I just realized the beauty of it. Thankfully, I have a prog equipped family and I would sometimes ask them about the whole nature of "progressive" music and my dad said that he was in a band when he was young and Dream Theater had been a huge influence. I feel like the song is very beautiful throughout, though it kind of slips out in the ending. I love how the song shifts from an aggressive verse to a really calming, almost relaxing part. I absolutely adore the vocal harmonies that go on through there and man, I can feel the song, I can feel the pain John Petrucci went through. The instrumental section after is great, but it slips out near the end. Even though it slips out, I never get bored and the song keeps my interest. The blast beat in the end sounds so cool and the drum outro makes my heart race every time.
That's all I wanted to say.