Germany's Blind Guardian have been around for ages now. They are widely popular in Europe and Japan. The band has even had respectable album sales in North America. Blind Guardian's style of symphonic power metal may be a bit too much for some but a listener with an open mind will appreciate the band's imagination, musicianship and excellent sense of melody.

"Fly" is the first single from the band's upcoming 2006 release, tentatively titled A Twist In The Myth. Clocking in at almost six minutes, "Fly" is a melodic combination of speed and power metal with a beautiful epic chorus. So much is packed into the song that it's a lot to take in at first. Vocal harmonies are abound and hit you from all directions, and the end result is brilliant. The single also contains an acoustic version of "Skalds and Shadows" complete with flute melodies and chimes. The "folk" sound made me feel like I was in a fantasy world camped out by a bonfire under a night sky, surrounded by hobbits, elves and other creatures. OK, so maybe that's a little ridiculous.

The single closes out with a cover of Iron Butterfly's "In A Gadda Da Vida." Now Slayer covered this tune a while back, along with many other bands, but Blind Guardian puts a different spin on it, transforming it into a thrash metal anthem while still doing justice to the original. If any cover needs to be heard, this is it.

Fly definitly perks my interest for Blind Guardian's new release coming this fall, and I'm sure it will make fans ever more anxious to get their hands on new material. If Fly is evidence of what's to come on A Twist In The Myth, then something special could be on the way.