Europe (band)
Encyclopedia
Europe is a Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 band formed in Upplands Väsby
Upplands Väsby
Upplands Väsby is a bimunicipal locality and the seat of Upplands Väsby Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 35,977 inhabitants in 2005.-Overview:...

 in 1979 under the name Force by vocalist Joey Tempest
Joey Tempest
Joey Tempest is the vocalist and main songwriter in the Swedish heavy metal band Europe. He has written hits like "The Final Countdown", "Rock the Night" and "Superstitious".-Early life:...

, guitarist John Norum
John Norum
John Norum is a rock music guitarist and founder of the Swedish band Europe . Concurrent to his role with Europe, he also maintains a side solo project...

 and drummer Tony Reno
Tony Reno
Tony Niemistö is a Swedish musician, best known as Tony Reno, the original drummer in the rock band Europe. He played on Europe's first two albums, Europe and Wings of Tomorrow. He parted company from the band before the second leg of the Wings of Tomorrow tour in 1984...

. Although widely associated with glam metal
Glam metal
Glam metal is a subgenre of hard rock and heavy metal that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States, particularly on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip music scene...

, the band's sound incorporates heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...

 and hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...

 elements. Since its formation, Europe has released eight studio albums, three live albums, three compilations and seventeen videos.

Europe rose to international fame in the 1980s with its third album The Final Countdown
The Final Countdown (album)
The Final Countdown is the third studio album by the Swedish rock band Europe. Released on 26 May 1986 through Epic Records, the album was a huge commercial success selling over 3 million units in the United States alone, peaking at number 8 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and reaching high...

(1986), which became a substantial commercial success and sold over three million copies in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Europe was one of the most successful rock acts of the 80s and sold over 20 million albums worldwide. The band has achieved two top 20 albums on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

 chart (The Final Countdown and Out of This World) and two top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 chart ("The Final Countdown
The Final Countdown (song)
"The Final Countdown" is a rock song by the Swedish band Europe released in 1986. Written by Joey Tempest, it was the first single from the band's third studio album which was also named The Final Countdown. It is considered by some to be the band's most recognizable and popular song. The song...

" and "Carrie
Carrie (song)
"Carrie" is a 1987 hit single and power ballad released by the Swedish heavy metal band Europe. It was the third single released internationally from the album The Final Countdown, and it is their highest charting song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart -- peaking at #3 during the fall of 1987...

").

Europe went on hiatus in 1992, reunited temporarily for a one-off performance in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...

 on New Year's Eve 1999 and announced an official reunion in 2003. Since then Europe has released three albums, Start from the Dark
Start from the Dark
Start from the Dark is the sixth studio album by the Swedish rock band Europe. It was released on September 22, 2004, by Sanctuary Records...

(2004), Secret Society (2006) and Last Look at Eden
Last Look at Eden
Last Look at Eden is the eighth studio album by the Swedish rock band Europe. It was released on September 9, 2009 in Sweden by Universal and was released on September 14, 2009 in the UK, by Edel Music's international rock music label earMUSIC....

, which was released on 9 September 2009.

Early days (1979–1985)

The first incarnation of the band was named Force and came together in 1979, in Upplands Väsby
Upplands Väsby
Upplands Väsby is a bimunicipal locality and the seat of Upplands Väsby Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 35,977 inhabitants in 2005.-Overview:...

, Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...

, and was integrated by vocalist and keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...

 Joey Tempest
Joey Tempest
Joey Tempest is the vocalist and main songwriter in the Swedish heavy metal band Europe. He has written hits like "The Final Countdown", "Rock the Night" and "Superstitious".-Early life:...

, guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...

 John Norum
John Norum
John Norum is a rock music guitarist and founder of the Swedish band Europe . Concurrent to his role with Europe, he also maintains a side solo project...

, bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...

 Peter Olsson
Peter Olsson
Peter Olsson was the original bassist in the Swedish hard rock band Force, which would later change its name to Europe. Olsson formed Force in Upplands Väsby in 1979, together with vocalist and keyboardist Joey Tempest, guitarist John Norum and drummer Tony Reno.Olsson left the band in 1981 and...

 and drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...

 Tony Reno
Tony Reno
Tony Niemistö is a Swedish musician, best known as Tony Reno, the original drummer in the rock band Europe. He played on Europe's first two albums, Europe and Wings of Tomorrow. He parted company from the band before the second leg of the Wings of Tomorrow tour in 1984...

. "I remember when we started the band Force we were playing covers in the rehearsal room, because we just wanted to learn our instruments, like all bands," Tempest said, "Then one day I said maybe we should do our own stuff. Nobody had any ideas, so I brought mine into the rehearsal room, and that is when we started writing our own stuff."

The band sent several demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...

s to record companies
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...

, but were told that in order to be published they had to cut their hair and sing in Swedish. Two years later, Olsson left the band and was replaced by John Levén
John Levén
John Gunnar Levén is the bassist in the Swedish rock band Europe. Levén and vocalist Joey Tempest are the only band members who have performed on all of Europe's studio albums....

. Just a couple of months later, Levén joined Yngwie Malmsteen's band Rising Force, and Malmsteen's former bassist, Marcel Jacob
Marcel Jacob
Marcel Karl Jacob was a Swedish musician, best known as the bassist in the hard rock bands Talisman and Last Autumn's Dream.-Biography:In 1978, Jacob formed the band Rising Force together with guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen...

 joined Force. This only lasted for three months, though; Levén apparently had issues with Malmsteen, so he and Jacob traded places again.

In 1982, Tempest's girlfriend entered Force in the Swedish rock talent contest Rock-SM. Competing against 4000 bands, they won the contest thanks to two songs, "In the Future to Come" and "The King Will Return". The reward was a record deal with Hot Records. Tempest won the individual award for Best Lead Singer, and Norum won the award for Best Guitarist. During the contest, Force changed their name to Europe. The self-titled debut album
Europe (album)
Europe is the first studio album by the Swedish heavy metal band Europe. It was released on February 24, 1983, by Hot Records.-Track listing:All songs were written by Joey Tempest, except where noted.#"In the Future to Come" – 5:00#"Farewell" – 4:16...

 was released the following year, and sold well both in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. The album charted at number 8 in the band's home country and the single "Seven Doors Hotel
Seven Doors Hotel
"Seven Doors Hotel", written by Joey Tempest, was the first single released from the Swedish heavy metal band Europe's self-titled debut album. It was a big hit in Japan, reaching the Top 10...

" became a Top 10 hit in Japan.

The second album Wings of Tomorrow
Wings of Tomorrow
Wings of Tomorrow is the second studio album by the Swedish heavy metal band Europe. It was released on February 24, 1984, by Hot Records.The song "Scream of Anger" was originally titled "Black Journey Through My Soul"...

was released one year later and the single "Open Your Heart
Open Your Heart (Europe song)
"Open Your Heart" is a single released by the Swedish heavy metal band Europe. It was released twice; in 1984 as a single from the album Wings of Tomorrow, and in 1988 as a single from the album Out of This World...

" got interest from CBS Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...

 who offered them an international contract in 1985. "I think one of the most important albums for the band was Wings of Tomorrow," Tempest said, "We were learning how to write songs and John started playing some really cool stuff on the guitar. We became a better band and that was a good period for the band." Keyboardist Mic Michaeli
Mic Michaeli
Gunnar Mathias "Mic" Michaeli is the keyboardist in the Swedish rock band Europe. Like many of the other Europe members he grew up in Stockholm suburb Upplands Väsby...

 was soon recruited to play in live concerts, and became an official member of the band shortly after. At the same time, Tony Reno was fired because of his lack of motivation and alleged slacking off on rehearsals. His replacement was Ian Haugland
Ian Haugland
Håkan Jan "Ian" Haugland is the drummer in the Swedish rock band Europe. When he was eight months old, he and his family moved to the Swedish suburb Märsta. He joined Europe in the summer of 1984, replacing Tony Reno. Previously Haugland had played in a number of bands, including Trilogy, where...

.

In 1985 Europe recorded the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...

 for the film On the Loose
On the Loose (1985 film)
On the Loose is a Swedish film released in 1985. It was directed by Staffan Hildebrand and distributed by Föreningsfilmo AB. It stars Tomas Fryk and Carina Lindström and features appearances by rock 'n' roll singer Jerry Williams and the hard rock band Europe.-Plot:Peter works as a welder in his...

, which gave them the hit "Rock the Night
Rock the Night (song)
"Rock the Night" is a single released by the Swedish heavy metal band Europe. The song was written by vocalist Joey Tempest in 1984 and premiered on the band's Wings of Tomorrow tour the same year....

". Several months later Joey Tempest was asked to write a song for the charity project Swedish Metal Aid. He wrote "Give a Helping Hand", which would feature the biggest stars of Swedish rock and metal. The income from the sales of the single, which was produced by Easy Action
Easy Action (band)
Easy Action is a glam metal band that was formed in 1982 by Kee Marcello and Alex Tyrone . The two played together in the Swedish glam act Noice when they decided to start the ultimate glam rock band, mixing their influences of 70's glam with a punk/metal attitude. They met the singer Zinny J...

 guitarist Kee Marcello
Kee Marcello
Kee Marcello is a Swedish musician, best known as the former guitarist in the rock band Europe. He is currently pursuing his solo career.-Career:...

, was donated to the starving people of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...

.

Worldwide success (1985–1992)

In September 1985, Europe started the recording of its next album with Journey
Journey (band)
Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco by former members of Santana. The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between the 1978 and 1987, after which it temporarily disbanded...

 producer Kevin Elson
Kevin Elson
Kevin Elson is an American record producer and engineer who is best known for his work with Europe, Journey, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Mr. Big.-Albums produced:*Street Survivors - Lynyrd Skynyrd *Departure - Journey...

. The result was The Final Countdown
The Final Countdown (album)
The Final Countdown is the third studio album by the Swedish rock band Europe. Released on 26 May 1986 through Epic Records, the album was a huge commercial success selling over 3 million units in the United States alone, peaking at number 8 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and reaching high...

. Released on May 26, 1986, the album gave the band its international breakthrough, was certified Triple Platinum in the USA and reached number 8 on the Billboard 200 chart
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

. The title track
The Final Countdown (song)
"The Final Countdown" is a rock song by the Swedish band Europe released in 1986. Written by Joey Tempest, it was the first single from the band's third studio album which was also named The Final Countdown. It is considered by some to be the band's most recognizable and popular song. The song...

, which was based on a keyboard riff composed by Tempest as early as 1981-82, was released as the first single and became a worldwide success, peaking at number 1 in 25 countries, such as the UK, France and Germany. The power ballad "Carrie
Carrie (song)
"Carrie" is a 1987 hit single and power ballad released by the Swedish heavy metal band Europe. It was the third single released internationally from the album The Final Countdown, and it is their highest charting song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart -- peaking at #3 during the fall of 1987...

", which peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

, "Cherokee
Cherokee (song)
"Cherokee" is a 1987 hit single released by the Swedish heavy metal band Europe. It was the fourth single released internationally from the album The Final Countdown, and was number 72 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the USA....

" and a re-recorded "Rock the Night" were other hits from the album.
Not satisfied with the album's keyboard-dominated production nor the band's commercialized image, John Norum decided to leave Europe in November 1986 to pursue a solo career. "I didn't really like the direction the band was going in," Norum said, "We became this teeny-bopper, bubblegum band and I hated that whole image, the spandex, poodle-rock type of thing. I was more into the heavier, guitar-oriented stuff and it seemed like the keyboards were taking over more and more, and we were becoming more commercial. So I decided to leave. I just wanted to move on and do something else."

Kee Marcello was asked to replace him, and after some consideration decided to join the band. Marcello joined the band at its commercial peak, no less than three singles from The Final Countdown
The Final Countdown (album)
The Final Countdown is the third studio album by the Swedish rock band Europe. Released on 26 May 1986 through Epic Records, the album was a huge commercial success selling over 3 million units in the United States alone, peaking at number 8 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and reaching high...

reaching the US Top 40. The following year included successful tours through Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 and the USA.

The follow-up to The Final Countdown was entitled Out of This World and was released in 1988. The biggest hit from the album was "Superstitious
Superstitious (song)
"Superstitious" is a 1988 single released by the Swedish heavy metal band Europe. It was the first single released from the album Out of This World. It charted at #31 in the Billboard Hot 100, #9 at the Mainstream Rock Tracks and #34 in the UK Singles Chart....

" which peaked at number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 and number 9 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks. "Superstitious" would be the last Europe song to chart in the USA. The album was certified platinum in the States and peaked at number 19 on the Billboard 200 chart. More touring followed, including an American tour with Def Leppard
Def Leppard
Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Since 1992, the band have consisted of Joe Elliott , Rick Savage , Rick Allen , Phil Collen , and Vivian Campbell...

 and a festival gig at the National Bowl
National Bowl
The National Bowl is an entertainment venue in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The site was a former clay-pit , filled in and raised to form an amphitheatre using sub-soil excavated by the many new developments in the area and it has a current maximum capacity of 65,000...

 in Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...

, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 with Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...

, Skid Row and Vixen
Vixen (band)
Vixen is an all-female American hard rock band which achieved some commercial success during the late 1980s and early 1990s as part of the Los Angeles, California glam metal scene.-Early years:...

.

In September 1989, Europe did a gig at the Whisky a Go Go
Whisky a Go Go
The Whisky a Go Go is a nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard, on the Sunset Strip.-History:...

 club in West Hollywood, California
West Hollywood, California
West Hollywood, a city of Los Angeles County, California, was incorporated on November 29, 1984, with a population of 34,399 at the 2010 census. 41% of the city's population is made up of gay men according to a 2002 demographic analysis by Sara Kocher Consulting for the City of West Hollywood...

, under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...

 Le Baron Boys. That name would later be used as a title for a much-circulated Europe bootleg
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...

, which contained demo recordings from 1989-90. Two years later, the album Prisoners in Paradise
Prisoners in Paradise
Prisoners in Paradise is the fifth studio album by the Swedish rock band Europe. It was released on September 23, 1991, by Epic Records and spawned hits such as the title track, "Prisoners in Paradise" and "I'll Cry for You".-Track listing:...

was released, but received limited media attention due to the "boom" of the grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...

 movement, started by Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...

, Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...

 and Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...

. Although the sales were low compared to previous albums, the single "I'll Cry for You
I'll Cry for You
"I'll Cry for You" is a 1991 single released by the Swedish heavy metal band Europe. It was the second single from the band's album Prisoners in Paradise, and charted at number 28 in the United Kingdom...

" managed to hit number 28 on the UK charts. On New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...

 1991, Europe kicked off a new tour with a show at the Tokyo Dome
Tokyo Dome
Tokyo Dome is a 55,000-seat baseball stadium located in Bunkyo Ward of Tokyo, Japan.The stadium opened for business on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of the Velodrome which was next door to the site of the predecessor ballpark, Kōrakuen Stadium...

, in which Tesla
Tesla (band)
Tesla is an American hard rock band formed in Sacramento, California in 1984. They have sold 14 million albums in the United States.-Formation and Mechanical Resonance :...

, Thunder
Thunder (band)
Thunder were an English hard rock band, who originally formed in 1989 when the band Terraplane broke up, leaving lead singer Danny Bowes and guitarist/main songwriter Luke Morley to form a new group, namely Thunder...

 and Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...

 also performed. The show was called "Final Countdown '91".

After ten years of living, recording, and touring together, Europe decided to take a break at the end of the 1992 tour. "I remember in the tour bus afterwards we were talking about where the whole thing was going and I think at the time the consensus of the band was we really felt ready for a break," Tempest said, "We felt that it was time to put some roots down and I was really into the idea of making my own solo album." In that time, Tempest and Marcello released solo albums whilst the other members participated in several different projects and bands.

Reunion (1998–present)

The band members started to discuss the possibility of a Europe reunion in 1998. "Mic and Ian came over to see me in Ireland," Tempest said, "Then whilst we were there, John Norum called from LA, and we were like 'Yes, maybe now is the right time to get things started again'." For the millennium celebrations, Europe was asked to do a concert in Stockholm on New Year's Eve 1999. That would be Europe's first concert with two lead guitarists, since both John Norum and Kee Marcello had accepted to play. They played "Rock the Night" and "The Final Countdown".

Over the years, there were several reunion rumors, and on October 2, 2003 it was made official: Europe announced plans for a new album and world tour. The band then switched back to the Final Countdown line-up, with John Norum as the only lead guitarist. "There was no doubt that we wanted John back, and John wanted to get back," Tempest said, "For me it was important to get that spark going again that we had before." Kee Marcello claimed that he was too busy with his own projects. "I told them I didn't want to participate in a [new] studio album because musically, I want to go in a different kind of direction than the music Europe stands for," Marcello said, "Then we talked for a while about doing a six-piece tour – it didn't turn out that way because of different reasons."

The songwriting for a new album, Start from the Dark
Start from the Dark
Start from the Dark is the sixth studio album by the Swedish rock band Europe. It was released on September 22, 2004, by Sanctuary Records...

, began early in 2003. "It was just a matter of moving forward and writing songs for the new album," Tempest said, "That was always our intention. We thought that if we were gonna make a comeback, we wanted to do it properly, and that meant we wanted to write and record some new songs, a new album." For the recording of Start from the Dark, the band decided to work with producer Kevin Elson, who had also produced The Final Countdown. "We could either go with a younger producer, or we could go with someone that we knew, someone experienced who is on the same wavelength as the band," Tempest said, "So in the end we decided that Kevin would be the perfect choice."

In the summer of 2004 Europe went on a festival tour through the European continent. The concert setlists included the old hits, but also introduced the title track from Start from the Dark. The album was released on September 22, 2004, the same day that John Norum became a father. Start from the Dark featured a more modern sound compared to Europe's previous albums. "We wanted to be doing something at least that was a little bit relevant now; bit of a dry mix, detuned a bit," Tempest said, "So we felt like we didn't want to do an '80s album per se, we just wanted to start like a fresh band really." Eventually, the album sold in excess of 600,000 copies worldwide.
Europe released its seventh album, Secret Society on October 26, 2006. "We think it's one of the strongest albums that Europe has ever done," Tempest said, "There is definitely some more melodic stuff on this one. Start from the Dark was very raw and made a statement, which is cool but for us it felt like a debut album in a way, so we wanted to branch out a bit on this one and take it to new levels."

On January 26, 2008 Europe did a semi-acoustic live concert at Nalen in Stockholm, calling the event Almost Unplugged
Almost Unplugged
Almost Unplugged is a live album by the Swedish hard rock band Europe. It was released on CD on September 17, 2008 and on DVD on August 19, 2009.The album was recorded at Nalen, a venue in Stockholm on January 26, 2008...

. The band was accompanied by a string quartet and played reworked versions of its own songs, as well as cover versions of songs by bands that have influenced Europe's sound throughout the years – Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...

, UFO
UFO (band)
UFO are an English heavy metal and hard rock band, who were formed in 1969. UFO became a transitional group between early hard rock and heavy metal and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal...

, Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...

 and Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Two of the founding members, drummer Brian Downey and bass guitarist/vocalist Phil Lynott met while still in school. Lynott assumed the role of frontman and led them throughout their recording career of thirteen studio albums...

. The show was broadcast live over the Internet on Europe's official website. It was released on CD on September 17, 2008 and on DVD on August 19, 2009.

On July 23, 2008 Europe did a co-headlining concert with Whitesnake
Whitesnake
Whitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1978 by David Coverdale after his departure from his previous band, Deep Purple. The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple, but by the mid 1980s they had moved to a more commercial hard rock style...

 in Padua
Padua
Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...

, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

. During Whitesnake's performance of their encore "Still of the Night
Still of the Night (song)
"Still of the Night" is a single released by Whitesnake, from their hugely successful self titled 1987 album. It reached #16 in the U.K., #18 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock Tracks and #79 on the Billboard Hot 100 when it was released on March 9, 1987...

", Joey Tempest joined David Coverdale
David Coverdale
David 'Jack' Coverdale is an English rock singer, most famous for his work with the his own hard rock band Whitesnake which achieved massive commercial success.-Early life:...

 on stage for the last chorus. In August 2008 Europe was the opening act for Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...

 for two concerts in Sweden, in Linköping
Linköping
Linköping is a city in southern middle Sweden, with 104 232 inhabitants in 2010. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality with 146 736 inhabitants and the capital of Östergötland County...

 on August 8 and Ystad
Ystad
Ystad is a "locality", or town, and the seat of Ystad Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden, with 17,286 inhabitants .Settlement dates back to the 11th century and the town has become a busy ferryport, local administrative centre and tourist attraction...

 on August 9. John Norum joined Deep Purple on stage in Ystad for a performance of "Smoke on the Water
Smoke on the Water
"Smoke on the Water" is a song by the British hard rock band Deep Purple. It was first released on their 1972 album Machine Head. In 2004, the song was ranked number 426 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time, and in March 2005, Q magazine placed "Smoke on the Water"...

".

On July 21, 2009, bassist and former member of Force, Marcel Jacob, committed suicide. He was 45 years old.

Europe's eighth studio album, Last Look at Eden
Last Look at Eden
Last Look at Eden is the eighth studio album by the Swedish rock band Europe. It was released on September 9, 2009 in Sweden by Universal and was released on September 14, 2009 in the UK, by Edel Music's international rock music label earMUSIC....

, was released on September 9, 2009. The title track
Last Look at Eden (song)
"Last Look at Eden" is the first single to be released from the Swedish heavy metal band Europe's eighth studio album, Last Look at Eden. It was released on 8 June 2009....

 was released as a single in June. The band has described it as a modern retro rock album. "This time, we're taking some new directions with our songs, and we're exploring different styles," they stated, "There is a definite classic rock vibe on some of the tracks... a tip of the hat to groovin', funkin' 70s rock songs - but ones we have bought into the here and now." The second single, "New Love in Town
New Love in Town
"New Love in Town" is a hard rock ballad, that became is the second single to be released from the Swedish heavy metal band Europe's eighth studio album, Last Look at Eden. The single was released as a digital download on September 3, 2009...

", was released as a digital download on September 3, 2009.

In an interview with Abhijeet Ahluwalia for EspyRock on November 30, 2009, Joey Tempest outlined the future of Europe, announcing the follow-up to Last Look at Eden will come in 2011: "We're gonna keep working at this rate we’re working at, which is pretty good. We’ll probably come out with an album in 2011 and tour in 2012 again. We’re looking 2-3 years ahead all the time, and in the next 5 years I see Europe with 2 more albums, 2 more world tours and hopefully having established ourselves even better in a lot of territories around the world."

On July 12, 2011, Europe confirmed that Kevin Shirley
Kevin Shirley
Kevin Shirley is a music producer and mixer for many artists, such as the bands Journey, Iron Maiden, Rush, Led Zeppelin, Joe Bonamassa, Marya Roxx, Dream Theater, Tyler Bryant, Mr. Big, and Europe.-Biography:...

 will produce their ninth studio album. The recording sessions are scheduled to start on October 3 and the tentative release date is April 2012.

On August 6, 2011, Europe headlined the closing ceremonies of the 22nd World Scout Jamboree
22nd World Scout Jamboree
The 22nd World Scout Jamboree took place in Rinkaby, Kristianstad, Scania in southern Sweden from 27 July to 7 August 2011. The theme was Simply Scouting. 40,061 Scouts, leaders and adult volunteers participated from 143 different countries.-Jamboree site:...

 in Rinkaby
Rinkaby
Rinkaby is a locality situated in Kristianstad Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 745 inhabitants in 2010. It is close to Lake Hammarsjön and 12 kilometres from Kristianstad. The village has a pre-school and primary school which is housed in a building originating in the 19th century...

, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 before an audience of 40,061 Scouts and Guides which included King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
Carl XVI Gustaf is the reigning King of Sweden since 15 September 1973, succeeding his grandfather King Gustaf VI Adolf because his father had predeceased him...

 and Queen Silvia of Sweden
Queen Silvia of Sweden
|align=right|Queen Silvia of Sweden is the Queen consort of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. Styled Her Majesty The Queen, Silvia is the mother of the heir apparent to the throne, Crown Princess Victoria.-Childhood:Queen Silvia was born in Heidelberg, Germany, on 23 December 1943...

.

Current members

  • Joey Tempest
    Joey Tempest
    Joey Tempest is the vocalist and main songwriter in the Swedish heavy metal band Europe. He has written hits like "The Final Countdown", "Rock the Night" and "Superstitious".-Early life:...

     - lead vocals, acoustic & rhythm guitar¹, keyboards² (1979–1992, 1999, 2003–present)
  • John Norum
    John Norum
    John Norum is a rock music guitarist and founder of the Swedish band Europe . Concurrent to his role with Europe, he also maintains a side solo project...

     - lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals (1979–1986, 1999, 2003–present)
  • John Levén
    John Levén
    John Gunnar Levén is the bassist in the Swedish rock band Europe. Levén and vocalist Joey Tempest are the only band members who have performed on all of Europe's studio albums....

     - bass (1981–1992, 1999, 2003–present)
  • Mic Michaeli
    Mic Michaeli
    Gunnar Mathias "Mic" Michaeli is the keyboardist in the Swedish rock band Europe. Like many of the other Europe members he grew up in Stockholm suburb Upplands Väsby...

     - keyboards, backing vocals, rhythm guitar³ (1984–1992, 1999, 2003–present)
  • Ian Haugland
    Ian Haugland
    Håkan Jan "Ian" Haugland is the drummer in the Swedish rock band Europe. When he was eight months old, he and his family moved to the Swedish suburb Märsta. He joined Europe in the summer of 1984, replacing Tony Reno. Previously Haugland had played in a number of bands, including Trilogy, where...

     - drums, percussion, backing vocals (1984–1992, 1999, 2003–present)


¹Live
²Until 1984
³Live during the Prisoners in Paradise Tour 1991-92

Former members

  • Kee Marcello
    Kee Marcello
    Kee Marcello is a Swedish musician, best known as the former guitarist in the rock band Europe. He is currently pursuing his solo career.-Career:...

     - lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals (1986–1992, 1999)
  • Tony Reno
    Tony Reno
    Tony Niemistö is a Swedish musician, best known as Tony Reno, the original drummer in the rock band Europe. He played on Europe's first two albums, Europe and Wings of Tomorrow. He parted company from the band before the second leg of the Wings of Tomorrow tour in 1984...

     - drums, percussion (1979–1984)
  • Peter Olsson
    Peter Olsson
    Peter Olsson was the original bassist in the Swedish hard rock band Force, which would later change its name to Europe. Olsson formed Force in Upplands Väsby in 1979, together with vocalist and keyboardist Joey Tempest, guitarist John Norum and drummer Tony Reno.Olsson left the band in 1981 and...

     - bass (1979–1981)
  • Marcel Jacob
    Marcel Jacob
    Marcel Karl Jacob was a Swedish musician, best known as the bassist in the hard rock bands Talisman and Last Autumn's Dream.-Biography:In 1978, Jacob formed the band Rising Force together with guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen...

     - bass (1981)

Discography

Year Title Label
1983 Europe
Europe (album)
Europe is the first studio album by the Swedish heavy metal band Europe. It was released on February 24, 1983, by Hot Records.-Track listing:All songs were written by Joey Tempest, except where noted.#"In the Future to Come" – 5:00#"Farewell" – 4:16...

Hot Records
1984 Wings of Tomorrow
Wings of Tomorrow
Wings of Tomorrow is the second studio album by the Swedish heavy metal band Europe. It was released on February 24, 1984, by Hot Records.The song "Scream of Anger" was originally titled "Black Journey Through My Soul"...

1986 The Final Countdown
The Final Countdown (album)
The Final Countdown is the third studio album by the Swedish rock band Europe. Released on 26 May 1986 through Epic Records, the album was a huge commercial success selling over 3 million units in the United States alone, peaking at number 8 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and reaching high...

Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...

1988 Out of This World
1991 Prisoners in Paradise
Prisoners in Paradise
Prisoners in Paradise is the fifth studio album by the Swedish rock band Europe. It was released on September 23, 1991, by Epic Records and spawned hits such as the title track, "Prisoners in Paradise" and "I'll Cry for You".-Track listing:...

2004 Start from the Dark
Start from the Dark
Start from the Dark is the sixth studio album by the Swedish rock band Europe. It was released on September 22, 2004, by Sanctuary Records...

Sanctuary Records
Sanctuary Records
Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest independent music management company in the world...

2006 Secret Society
2009 Last Look at Eden
Last Look at Eden
Last Look at Eden is the eighth studio album by the Swedish rock band Europe. It was released on September 9, 2009 in Sweden by Universal and was released on September 14, 2009 in the UK, by Edel Music's international rock music label earMUSIC....

earMUSIC

External links

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