HIGHLAND GLORY rose, aptly enough, from the ashes of PHOENIX RIZING, a band that had issued two commendable albums 'Rise From The Ashes' and 'Eternal Crusade'. PHOENIX RIZING dissolved with the departure of singer Tom Piipo and guitarist Yngve Olsen. Remaining personnel guitarist Jack Roger Olsen, bass guitarist Knut Egil Tøftum, keyboard player Lars Andre Larsen and drummer Morten Færøvig drafted vocalist Jan Thore Grefstad to found HIGHLAND GLORY.

The band switched to the German Massacre Records concern to issue the 'Forever Endeavour' album in September 2005. HIGHLAND GLORY contributed their version of 'Conquistadores' to the 2005 RUNNING WILD online tribute album 'Rough Diamonds – A Tribute To Running Wild'. Jan Thore Grefstad sessioned for AFTER ETERNITY in 2006 and that same year featured on the LUCID MOON album 'Last Conversation Of The Severed Heads'.