Forever Endeavour

Norway is seen by most as a fairly unusual place to host a band of the European power metal persuasion, but there has been a small collection of bands in said country making music in that style, as early as 1996 in the case of many of the musicians in this outfit who once went by the name Phoenix Rizing. There isn’t really a characteristic sound to Norway’s variation on the power metal coin, as is the case in Sweden and Finland. Some acts such as Gaia Epicus lean towards Gamma Ray and 80s speed metal influences, while others go in completely different directions. Based on the sounds heard on their second release, one could safely assume that Highland Glory takes their cues mostly from the current sounds coming out of the scenes of surrounding countries in the north.

“Forever Endeavor” listens like a deeply atmospheric and slightly less aggressive answer to the sound put forth by Swedish power metal crusaders Lost Horizon. There is a fair amount of Finnish influence also, mostly that of Sonata Arctica and Stratovarius. Keyboardist/Guitarist Lars Larsen has the strongest bearing on the overall sound of the band, as his piano and synthesizer work tends to establish a dense, dreamy atmosphere that gives even the fastest speed metal songs on here a relaxing tinge. Vocalist Jan Grefstad, who also dabbles in the more traditional heavy metal style, has a unique duality to his singing style. Most of the time he is a near perfect imitation of Daniel Heiman, pushing out triumphant high wails with little effort, but occasionally when he sings in a more subdued fashion he sounds incredibly like Styx front man Dennis DeYoung.

Most of the songs on here are slower and simpler versions of what is heard on “A Flame to the Ground Beneath”, a seemingly fitting result as the band had collaborated with members of Lost Horizon on their previous album. “Mindgame Masquerade”, “Surreality” and the ambitious closing song “Demon of Damnation” all follow the keyboard heavy yet also riff happy power metal format with lyrics about either internal struggle or self-discovery. Shorter and faster songs like “Break the Silence” and “Edge of Time” are solid pieces of the late 90s Stratovarius puzzle with a dose of the dense string synth sound characteristic of Sonata Artica’s “Winterheart’s Guild”.

The pinnacle of songwriting and musical performance on here, however, is found right smack in the beginning of the album. “Spirit of Salvation” is just one of those songs where in spite of there being no guitar solo, very little thematic variation, or any real sense of technical virtuosity, the whole thing just falls together perfectly. Those 4 or 5 chords are just simply strung together between the guitars and keyboard and what emerges is a perfect backdrop for Grefstad to let loose a vocal performance never to be forgotten. But special note should also be given to the 3 classic cover songs on here, where Lars puts down his keyboard and picks up his guitar, morphing the outfit from an epic, atmospheric power metal outfit into something closer to an old guard NWOBHM sound. The remake of “Wild Child”, in particular, does complete justice to the original and brings out a radically different vocal outcome in line with the modern approach to the genre.

Fans of Lost Horizon who are most likely devastated at the fact that Heiman left the fold and that their favorite band hasn’t put out an album in 5 years may find some solace in this, but don’t expect anything that preaches the metal individualist philosophy the way that “Awakening the World” does or something that constantly pushes the speed metal envelope. You could say that the Highland Glory sound is a little bit Swedish, a little Finnish, but regardless it doesn’t sound quite like anything that was around in power metal circles in 2005, and in most cases also sounds superior to what the genre was doing at the time.