This is pretty soft. Go ahead. Punch it. It won’t fight back. It will mold to the form of your hand as it sinks into its flesh, guiding your hand around the smooth outline of its gelatinous shape. You see, we critics of metal often talk about how “heavy,” “corrosive,” “uncompromising,” or “pummeling” an album sounds, rarely pausing to ask ourselves if what we’re really looking for is melodic, beautiful, or…soft. But this is a good soft. This is the kind of soft you can escape in with the sole purpose of venturing into a fantasy world of soaring images that will take you away from real worries and personal tragedies.

As a lead single, “Fly” successfully balances a dominant melodic tone with more complex riffing that gives the song some serious replay value. Don’t believe for a second that you’re not going to hear some unnecessary theatrical moments dripping with synth excess though, evidenced by the sugary but effectively addictive chorus. The few opening seconds are scary, but as soon as Olbrich and Siepen give the song a much needed slap in the ass, things begin to pick up and you realize why Blind Guardian remains one of the most popular power/traditional metal bands in the world. The group obviously appreciates their surge in popularity, because nothing about this song is too risky given the sound established on A Night at the Opera. However, I would never make the argument that they’re “selling out.” Though they have toned down speedy riffing for the sake of appealing to a wider audience, the respect for quality songwriting and composition keeps B.G. in the upper echelon of heavy metal, and “Fly” is no exception. Be prepared for some weird bouncy synth stuff that will remind you of that sound cue you get when a character is training for battle in a cheesy 80s fight flick though.

Included with “Fly” is an acoustic version of “Skalds and Shadows,” which I suppose is a track that will appear in electric form on the next full-length, and a cover of “In A Gadda Da Vida,” like the world needs another, right? “Skalds and Shadows” is a decent song drenched in folk escapist dressing, and while it sounds completely out of place on this three-song collection, the Iron Butterfly cover is also decent. Of course, you’re here for the main event, and “Fly” delivers. I am not exactly going to get in a fistfight with anybody to pick up the first copy of the new full-length after listening to the lead single, but I will certainly take serious interest in hearing the rest of what the album has to offer.