To be completely honest, Europe for me was in my early teens and then gone; I moved on to heavier, faster music and the hair metal of the 80s was gone. Roll on thirty odd years, and to say I was hesitant to listen to Europe’s new offering was an understatement, but as with most things with music, you go in with an open mind, and I’m glad I did; “Come This Madness” is nothing short of fantastic.
The orchestral opening on “One On One” sweeps over you like a breath of fresh air before the track drops and you feel the full force of Léven’s monstrous bass and the kicking drum beat from Haugland. Tempest vocals are killer and still as fresh now as they did forty years ago; the guitar work from Norum is brilliant, and the soaring solo near the end of the track is outstanding. “The Cult Of Ignorance” builds on the opener and continues with the bass-heavy feel and more prominent keys from Michaeli; the rhythm is unreal and so catchy while Norum shreds on multiple occasions. This has arena rock written all over it, with its singalong chorus; this will go down a treat live. Title track, “Come This Madness”, slows things down a little, but it brings the groove big time with a killer rhythm from Haugland and Léven and Norum’s big riffs; the verses are slower and more restrained while the chorus explodes into life; the solo from Norum and the keyboards from Michaeli add a nice bit of flair to the track.
“This Time Of Year” is a ballad that Europe have a canny knack of knocking out of the park; Tempest’s vocals are unreal while the band row in behind him, creating the perfect sonic backdrop to elevate the track, simply put, stunning. “In A Different World” brings the intensity back up with a thumping bass and guitar riff backed up by a crushing drum beat. Tempest uses the full range of his vocals from the low end around the verses to the highs at the chorus; midway through it slows right down, and that is where Norum lets rip with a varied solo, from a bluesy vibe to a hard rock crusher, a real standout track. “Scandinavian Eyes” opens with an orchestral overture before being blown away by an absolutely banging 70s-style groovy hard rock beast that is guaranteed to get the head nodding and the fist pumping; soaring keys, killer riffs and a spanking low end- this is one of the best tracks on the album. “
Takin’ It Back” kicks it up a notch with this one, built off a thunderous bass line backed up by powerful riffs and a blasting drum beat; Norum’s solo sears while Tempest’s vocals soar; this one rocks big time, another that will be massive live. “In The Absence Of Grace” is a short ballad that comes to a rather abrupt end just when you think it is about to open up and become something else. “The Angels Must Have Flown” has a nice heavy beat to it courtesy of Léven and Haglund’s low end that nicely intertwines with Norum’s melodic riffs, the keys and orchestral arrangement; Norum’s solo is excellent as are Tempest’s vocals, giving you a cracking tune. “The Devil’s Back” bring that 70s/80s groove back with a thumping bass and drum beat that drives the track; Tempest keeps his vocals low, giving them an edge. The rhythm is killer and will get you big time once again; Norum out does himself with his guitar wizardry. This is one of my favourite tracks on the album. The album closes with “Nothing Can Follow This”, a track that certainly lives up to its title with so much going on; from Tempest’s spoken opening to the driving rhythm, the Middle Eastern vibe that gives the track a cinematic sound, and of course Norum’s scintillating guitar work both riff- and solo-wise, this is an unreal track and worthy of the title as it will be a hard act to follow.
This is an amazing album from Europe and has definitely got me heading down the rabbit hole of the previous eight or nine albums I missed
Come This Madness is out this Friday, September 25th via Silver Lining Music. Pre-orders are available here.
Review: Conor
Come This Madness album artwork by Storm Studios (Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and Muse).
Come This Madness track listing:
One on One
The Cult of Ignorance
Come This Madness
This Time of Year
In a Different World
Scandinavian Eyes
Takin’ It Back
In the Absence of Grace
The Angels Must Have Flown
The Devil’s Back
Nothing Can Follow This
Come This Madness will be available on vinyl, CD and digital formats.
Pre-orders available here
2 Oct – Civic Hall, Wolverhampton (GB)*
3 Oct – Eventim Apollo Hammersmith, London (GB)*
5 Oct – Musis Arnhem, Arnhem (NL)*
6 Oct – Olympia, Paris (FR)*
8 Oct – Poble Espanyol, Barcelona (ES)*
9 Oct – Bilbao Arena Mirabilla, Bilbao (ES)*
10 Oct – La Cubierta, Madrid (ES)*
12 Oct – Salle Métropole, Lausanne (CH)*
13 Oct – Volkshaus, Zürich (CH)*
14 Oct – Alcatraz, Milan (IT)*
16 Oct – Liederhalle, Stuttgart (DE)*
17 Oct – Gasometer, Wien (AT)*
19 Oct – Admiralspalast Theater, Berlin (DE)*
20 Oct – COS Torwar, Warszawa (PL)*
22 Oct – Falkoner, Frederiksberg (DK)*
23 Oct – Film Studios, Gothenburg (SE)*
24 Oct – B-K, Stockholm (SE)*
26 Oct – Sentrum Scene, Oslo (NO)*
15 Nov – Malta Metal Weekend, St. Julians (MT)*
21 Nov – Ostravar Aréna, Ostrava (CZ)*
25 Nov – Aalto Hall @ House of Culture, Helsinki (FI)*
27 Nov – John Smith Rock Frozen Paviljonki, Jyväskylä (FI)*
28 Nov – Unholy Winter Festival Joensuu Areena, Joensuu (FI)*
*The Final Countdown 40th Anniversary Tour
EUROPE are:
Joey Tempest – Lead Vocals
John Norum – Guitars
John Levén – Bass
Mic Michaeli – Keyboards
Ian Haugland – Drums
Follow EUROPE on:
www.europetheband.com
www.facebook.com/europetheband
www.instagram.com/
www.youtube.com/
www.tiktok.com/@