Europe's 'Walk the Earth' - Album Review

A new album Swedish hard rockers Europe is always, quite rightly, a hotly-anticipated event. Since forming in 1982 the band have consistently put out great albums, filled with melodic rock songs in their own instantly-recognisable style. While there are no real stinkers in the band's discography, since 2009's Last Look at Eden the band have been on a rather staggering run of form. While the band's commercial heyday was in the late 1980s, particularly around the release of third album The Final Countdown in 1986, the past few years have possibly been the band's best yet in terms of touring effort and critical success. Having mostly left their synth-heavy late 1980s pop metal sound behind, the Europe of today is a meaner, tougher beast. Wearing their early 1970s classic rock influences on their sleeves, Europe have been reborn as a bluesy hard rock band. This sound has always been a big part of Europe's output of course, but it is now the band's sole focus. Last Look at Eden was the band's first album for quite some time to really receive a lot of critical success and attention; and the band took this success and ran with it. 2012's Bag of Bones and 2015's War of Kings (which I reviewed here) followed and only cemented this new-found success further. It has been great to see the band grow in stature again over the past few years, something which culminated for me personally last year when I witnessed the band at the Roundhouse in London celebrating the 30th anniversary of The Final Countdown with a special concert that featured that whole album in it's entirety. However, that concert also featured the entirety of War of Kings, a brave move on what was otherwise an evening of nostalgia, but one that showcased how proud the band are of their recent work. All to often older bands will barely feature any new material in their live sets, so to see Europe consistently defy this trope is excellent. This all leads to Walk the Earth, the band's eleventh studio album, which was released last month. After the success of War of Kings, which is my favourite of the band's 'reunion' albums, Europe looked to make the same formula work again by once again enlisting the help of producer Dave Cobb. His raw production was part of the success of War of Kings, and I am glad that the band decided to continue down this road. As a result, Walk the Earth definitely feels like a continuation of War of Kings, which is both a strength and a weakness. Sometimes this album sounds a little too close to it's predecessor to really stamp it's own identity on the band's discography, but the strength of the songwriting here is high throughout which makes the album an enjoyable listen. As with War of Kings, this album is dominated by the fuzzy blues guitar riffs of John Norum, Mic Michaeli's droning Hammond organ playing, and the powerful vocals of talismanic frontman Joey Tempest.

The album's title track gets things afterway with a subtle orchestral intro that soon morphs into a powerful guitar riff from Norum which is backed by Michaeli's majestic keyboards. Tempest's voice sounds as good as it ever has, and his performance really drives the verses as the guitar and keyboards snake around beneath him. This song is very similar to the sound of the last album, and really sounds like a continuation from the success of War of Kings. This works well however, and helps to transition the listener into this new album. It is also one of the most immediate songs here, and makes a strong impact right away. The chorus is a really powerful moment, and shows the band's knack for creating infectious melodies. The Siege picks up the pace a bit, and showcases Norum's guitar playing right away with a heavier guitar riff. The keyboards take a bit more a back seat here, allowing the rhythm section of bassist John Levén and drummer Ian Haugland to really push to the fore with their deep, hollow sound. The Deep Purple comparisons that have been levelled at the band recently are relevant again here, with a slightly experimental feel with the use of some Middle Eastern melodies mixed in with the band's usual hard rock formula. Kingdom United has a similar feel, with Haugland's shuffled drum beat driving the fairly uptempo song and Tempest's political lyrics carrying quite a bit of weight. The real highlight of the song for me however is Norum's guitar solo, which is quite lengthy and shows off much of his bluesy acumen. I feel Norum has never really received the respect that he deserves from the guitar community, and he is an extremely underrated player. Pictures is a slower piece, initially dominated by some sparse acoustic guitar chords and Michaeli's melancholic piano lines. While the song does gain a little more weight as it moves along, it remains a fairly gentle ballad throughout which really helps to showcase Tempest's emotional vocal delivery and allows the band to relax a little more. Ballads have always been a big part of Europe's sound, and the slower, bluesy numbers the band have worked on in recent years all have a touch of class about them. This song is no different and delivers something different from the band's usual tougher sound. It fades out with another Norum solo, and again it is packed full of perfect bluesy phrasing. Election Day is another song that stands out on first listen with a powerful chorus and a groovy, keyboard-driven main riff. Songs like this really are a staple of Europe's modern output, and it is always great to see them rock out with such urgency. Europe's spirit and will to rock has not diminished one bit over the years, and this song shows that they still have plenty left to say.

Wolves is another slower song, but this is no ballad as it is led by a somewhat doomy guitar riff and some enveloping keyboards. The brooding song definitely borrows a little from Black Sabbath's songbook, and even reminds me a little of Alice in Chains during the verses with some strange harmony vocals. This sound is not something that Europe have really experimented with before, but it works well and fits into the band's rawer, heavier modern sound. Norum's guitar solo here is quite slow, but it is is still as potent as ever as he cuts through the mix despite competition from Levén's prominent, ringing basslines. GTO picks up the pace again with another fast riff that is definitely inspired by Deep Purple. Tempest really shows off his vocal prowess here with some impressive high notes throughout. While his voice is definitely lower now than it was in the 1980s, he still has an impressive range and a certain melodic quality to his voice that makes him very easy to listen to. This song is just pure unadulterated hard rock that is not trying to be anything complicated, but just revelling in the simple formula of the genre. There is always something very satisfying about music like this, and Europe do it so well. Haze is more of a mid-paced affair, with a riff that sounds like something Michael Schenker would have come up with for one of his early MSG albums, but the song's fuzzy atmosphere really carries it. While Europe's big hits from the 1980s all featured a very polished production, the rawer feel of the band's more modern sound really suits where the band are. The use of retro keyboard sounds really helps too, and this song features liberal use of organ throughout which growls along perfectly behind Norum's guitar. There is a very Led Zeppelin-esque instrumental break towards the end too, which features Haugland's speedy drumming and some excellent guitar atmospherics. Whenever You're Ready is a short burst of fast hard rock that passes by in a flurry and is over almost before it starts. The energy throughout the song never lets up, with Haugland's drumming keeping pace as Tempest leads the troops through their paces with a dominant vocal display. There is not much time for showboating here, and this is mostly a team effort with big riffs being the order of the day. The album's closing number Turn to Dust has the majestic feel of the album's opening number but takes on a more epic feel with a longer running time and a more diverse sound. The verses here are much quieter, with Michaeli's keyboards dominating, but the choruses pack more of a punch with some tough guitar tones and crashing drums. The guitars snake throughout, with plenty of little lead breaks thrown in to break up the mood which helps to add to the overall feel of the piece. In what is otherwise a fairly concise album, this is a song that sprawls a little and adds a little experimental feel to the album's end. Overall, while probably not as strong as War of Kings, Walk the Earth is another excellent addition to Europe's expansive canon. It continues on the hard rock path that the band have been treading for a few years now and is sure to be well received by the fans.

The album was released on 20th October 2017 via Hell & Back Recordings/Silver Lining Music. Below is the band's promotional video for Walk the Earth.