Out of the ashes of the Norwegian power metal band Phoenix Rizing, arose Highland Glory in the summer of 2001.
FROM THE CRADLE TO THE BRAVE (2003) FACEFRONT
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Line-up: Jack-Roger Olsen - Guitars, Backing Vocals Morten Færøvig - Drums Jan Thore Grefstad - Vocals Lars Andre Larsen - Keyboards, Guitars Knut Egil Tøftum - Bass Guests: Daniel Heiman - Backing Vocals and Duet on 9 Fredrik Olsson - Backing Vocals on 9 |
While Phoenix Rizing never made a huge impression on me, I'm glad to announce that Highland Glory do! The members have all grown as musicians and songwriters. And the new vocalist is just amazing! How come I've not heard about him before? The man is amongst the best singers in metal today, no kidding! 'From The Cradle To The Brave' delivers the goods to any power metal lover. You get the epic melodies, like the title track. Filled with riffs, powerful choruses, double bass-drums etc. The band also gives us a beautiful ballad in "This Promise I Swear". What sets them apart from the masses is the touch of Celtic music they add. It helps to amplify the epic feeling. Note: look out for the guest-appearance from Lost Horizon's Daniel Heiman and Fredrik Olsson. So if you aren't amongst the lucky people already owning a copy, start your search for it, now!
My CD is signed by all members.
Killer tracks: I like them all.
FOREVER ENDEAVOUR (2005) FACEFRONT/MASSACRE
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Line-up: Jack-Roger Olsen - Guitars, Backing Vocals Morten Færøvig - Drums Jan Thore Grefstad - Vocals Lars Andre Larsen - Keyboards, Guitars Knut Egil Tøftum - Bass Guest: Adriana - Female vocals on 5
* = bonus tracks |
After the convincing debut from Norway's Highland Glory, I was eagerly awaiting their second album. And finally it is here, and it's entitled 'Forever Endeavour'. The band are proudly heading down a path already well traveled, and why shouldn't they? As long as they do it as well as is the case on this album. It all opens strongly with "Spirit Of Salvation", a song they've been doin' live for quite some time already. I remember being floored by it the first time I heard it, and it gives a good impression here as well. And that is also the case for all the other tracks as well. The album provides some variation, from the epic opener and the title-track, to the straight forward "Edge Of Time" (a personal favorite", and of course the obligatory ballad in "The Sacrifice". They also show their love for Rock 'n' Rolf in the Running Wild-esque "Mindgame Masquerade". Jan Thore delivers yet another stellar performance. And the band sounds tighter then ever. The only thing I really do miss here is a better production. Don't get me wrong, this is not a badly produced record. It's just that it could have been done so much better. I miss a beefier sound, and maybe more depth? But any fan of power metal, and especially those who like the galloping style, should enjoy this album.
I bought the Massacre version of this disc, as it includes 3 bonus tracks. Now, this band always include cover versions in their live sets. And now they've recorded 3 of them, and included them here. The 3 are: "Wild Child" (W.A.S.P.), "Love Gun" (Kiss) and "The Trooper" (Iron Maiden). They did a great job on all of them!
Killer tracks: Again, all of them.
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