It’s been a long stretch between drinks, but Swedish hard rock royalty Europe have finally broken their nine-year silence. The band have just announced their 12th studio album, Come This Madness, which is set to land on 25th September via Silver Lining Music (pre-order now). To get us in the mood, they’ve dropped the first single and video, “One On One”.
If you’re expecting a simple retread of their 80s glory days, think again. The new track is a proper arena-ready belter that balances their classic melodic sensibilities with a much grittier, modern edge. Joey Tempest says the lyrics are a bit more grounded than the escapism of their early work, reflecting the somewhat mental times we’re all living through. The accompanying video is a cinematic affair featuring the legendary Peter Stormare (Fargo, The Big Lebowski), who delivers a characteristically intense performance.
The album itself was recorded at Stockholm’s RMV Studio – founded by ABBA‘s Benny Andersson – and features some heavy-duty guests. Both Tobias Forge of Ghost and Michael Åkerfeldt of Opeth make appearances, which should give you an idea of the calibre we’re dealing with here. We haven’t had a new record from these guys since Walk the Earth back in 2017, so hearing what producer Tom Dalgety and mixing legend Mike Fraser have cooked up is high on our priority list.
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The tracklist for Come This Madness is:
- “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”
To celebrate the release and the 40th anniversary of a certain song about a final countdown, the band are heading out on a massive tour. It kicks off right here in Glasgow at the end of September. The UK dates are:
- 29th Aug – Stonedead Festival, Newark
- 30th Sep – SEC Armadillo, Glasgow
- 2th Oct – Civic Hall, Wolverhampton
- 3th Oct – Eventim Apollo Hammersmith, London
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