Artist: Europe
Label: Sanctuary Records
Release: 2006
Rating: 3.5/5
Exactly two years have passed since their big comeback with the album “Start From The Dark”, and now Europe are back with their upcoming record, which will officially see the light of day on the Old Continent on 27.10.2006. This time RockLine is giving you the premiere review of the promo pre-release version of the new album with the telling title “Secret Society”. With it, Europe prove that their years of sitting in mothballs weren’t for nothing, and even though the audience has turned over a whole generation in the meantime, they remain the leading Swedish-Norwegian hard rock band of world-class stature. The lineup is the classic one, the real deal from 1986: Joey Tempest (vocals), John Norum (guitar), Mic Michaeli (keyboards), John Levén (bass) and Ian Haugland (drums).
Even though the band members decided to produce the album largely themselves this time, they still handed the main reins to a seasoned old hand of the rock business and longtime sound engineer at the legendary Polar Kingside studios in Stockholm, Mr. Lennart Östlund. Over his long career, Östlund has been credited as producer on records by bands like Led Zeppelin, Scorpions and others. The mixing of “Secret Society” was handled by Mr. Stefan Glaumann, better known for his work with Rammstein. Most of the material was recorded under the watchful baton of George Marino at Sterling Sound studios in New York. George is one of the leading mastering engineers in the game and has a hand in the success of bands like AC/DC and Coldplay. This time the band simply didn’t want to take the slightest risk or leave a single thing to chance, so they brought in Mr. Storm Thorgerson of the art studio Hipgnosis for the album cover. Thorgerson has put his name on covers for the likes of Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Alan Parsons Project and Peter Gabriel, to name just a few. Guitarist John Norum said of this: “When I was growing up, some of the most striking covers were this man’s work.” As examples he named the UFO album “Obsession” and the debut from MSG (Michael Schenker Group), which in his words are truly impressive. So when heavy hitters like that get together, success is almost guaranteed, and Europe, though on the receiving end of plenty of criticism in the past, have always been masters of a polished product.
Now, getting to the album itself, the listener’s attention is grabbed right away by the punchy title track “Secret Society”, which wins us over with how well-tuned it is to the record we’re talking about. Musically and sound-wise, Europe are going very much for a modern, trendy sound this time, confirmed by the strong rhythm section and by Joey’s otherwise very clean vocals, blurred and layered with effects, which get their moment again in “Wish I Could Believe”. Older listeners will recognize in it that typical “sugar-coated” Europe. “Let the Children Play” starts off pleasantly and by the end turns into a real balm for the ears. Throughout all the songs we get the enormous brilliance of John Norum’s fantastic guitar playing, which flows along step by step and, over this tense hour of new Europe music, morphs into textbook “Heavy Rock” classic material. The variations and masterful touches in some of the guitar riffs on this album are typically Scandinavian and sit uncannily close to another well-known gentleman, Mr. Malmsteen. The surprising thing about this album is that Europe express a tempo of variations rather than a scheme, yet they simply translate individual songs. They lack the courage for innovation, so don’t expect any experiments on this record. The more demanding listener will be moved mainly by “Human After All” (full-on vocals) and “Forever Travelling” (like a fantastic call), where the purity of the songs and Joey’s vocals confirm how flawless the performance is. Europe are in their second life, or rather going through a rebirth, and they’re proving it with “Secret Society”. They have no intention whatsoever of wasting or letting slip their superstar status and second chance after years of silence.
For some, “Secret Society” may become the album of the year (I’m thinking mainly of the Scandinavian countries), for others just an average rock album. That thought leaves me asking: “How do I wrap up this review?” Let me just say that the band faces a tough task, and anyone who still clings to the code of “The Final Countdown” probably has no idea what Europe still want to tell us with their music after all these years. But I’ll tell you this: “Wait for the official release of the album on 27.10.2006. They convinced me, and I hope they’ll convince you too!?”
Lineup
Joey Tempest – vocals, guitar
John Norum – guitar
Mic Michaeli – keyboards
John Levén – bass guitar
Ian Haugland – drums
Production
Europe
Track list
01. Secret Society
02. Always The Pretenders
03. Love Is Not The Enemy
04. Wish I Could Believe
05. Let The Children Play
06. Human After All
07. The Getaway Plan
08. A Mothers Son
09. Forever Travelling
10. Brave And Beautiful Soul
11. Devil Sings The Blues
Album length: 46.06
