Muscle Bound for Glory is the sixth full-length from Germans guys GRAILKNIGHTS. It's not easy to explain the work of GRAILKNIGHTS because it's not enough to say that they play Power metal. If we consider the sound and the aesthetic of bands like SABATON, GAMMA RAY, RHAPSODY, or even VIRGIN STEELE we will have a part of the essence of GRAILKNIGHTS. I said a part of the essence because the other part is that these guys take the serious faces, the battles and the dragons as a kind of joke. This does not mean that the work of GRAILKNIGHTS is a joke, but rather that they do a particular style of Power metal, mixing classic good things of the genre (like chorus, melodic and speedy guitars, and furious rhythms) but with a touch of humour.

From "Muscle Bound For Glory", the opening song, the rhythms and the chorus submerge us in the classic Power metal style with all the elements of the genre. The second song, "40509", has traces that remember me some glorious moments from the GAMMA RAY of the 90's. The next songs, "Turbo Boost" and "Legions of Heroes", recover the typical battle sound while "Cybone One" marks a change in the atmosphere though sounds and a lyrical related with a kind of apocalyptical cybernetic machine called system 666 which obeys the orders of Cybone One. "Lights" could be the typical Heavy metal ballad but in the last two minutes the song acquires characteristics of Power Metal but never leaving aside the melodic sound from the beginning. After this impasse, "Pimbal Death Machine", "POWAA!!!", and "Gojira" bring back to the more traditional Power metal sound with some mix of instrumental elements in "Gojira" and a female voice guest singing in Japanese. "Skyward Thunder Punch" opens with some electronic bits but nothing to be worried about... a few seconds later the song become in a great performance between Power metal and Pagan metal. "Fall Of A Kingdom" is, in my opinion, a forgettable song, where the element appears without organic sense, just like parts that do not converge with themselves. The albums ends with a pretty epic song. "The Holy Grail" has all the elements not only to be a good song but also to put an excellent end to this work.

In short: Muscle Bound for Glory is a great album. It is impossible not repeat some of the choruses and their rhythms are contagious. It's not something really original but the way they mix sub-styles makes it an enjoyable album. And last but not least, I have to say that I love some passages in which the voice seems to pay tribute to Ralf Scheepers.