I take a week off from this webzine (and by “off”, I mean swamped with work, band rehearsals, and catching Iron Maiden), only to return to review another band who has kept us waiting forever for new music, Europe. The latter half of the ’10s saw these Swedish metal legends unleash some of the strongest albums of their career in 2015’s War of Kings and 2017’s Come This Madness. And then, things got quiet. COVID dashed a planned jaunt of American amphitheaters alongside Foreigner and Kansas. Us diehard Europe fans (Europeans perhaps?) sat and waited patiently for something, ANYTHING resembling new music. Joey Tempest did make a cameo on the latest Opeth album, so there was that. As the old saying goes, good things come to those who wait, because after 9 long years, Europe are back with their 12th studio album, Come This Madness.
Speaking of Opeth, Europe must’ve been hanging out a lot with them and fellow moody countrymen, Katatonia, during the making of this album, because I am absolutely shocked upon first couple listens what a gloomy outing this is. Sure, they’ve pursued this mature approach to heavy metal and hard rock for the past 15 years roughly, but never with such a foreboding atmosphere and borderline progressive disposition. In other words, if you’re a fickle American expecting a rehash of The Final Countdown complete with carefree arena rock anthems and AOR love ballads, don’t. A lighthearted walk down memory lane is the last thing that Come This Madness is.
The opening “One on One” wastes no time, establishing the drama of the affair early on. We’re given a symphonic intro that segues into a storm of throbbing rhythms and chugging guitars. It certainly can be interpreted as anthemic, but not in the traditional Europe manner, leaning closer instead towards the grandiosity of modern day Magnum. “The Cult of Ignorance” and “Come This Madness” expand upon this approach even further, fusing big choruses with pomp metal bite and deeply introspective lyricism. Many times, there’s nothing more depressing than seeing your favorite metal band get “old”. In Europe’s case, they carry the kind of life experience that could only result in an album of this nature.
Even more impressive is the fact that while very little of this album resembles the band’s ’80s heyday, there isn’t any blatant trend-hopping to be found either. Sure, the production is as modern as it gets, and I wish Tempest’s vocals had more room to fly in the mix, but that’s a minute complaint. Whether they went with the modern execution that they did, or the lo-fi sound of the Wings of Tomorrow days, I’m not sure either would add or subtract to the quality of the songs. Speaking of Wings of Tomorrow, “Scandinavian Eyes” and “Takin’ It Back” are the only two cuts on here that sound adjacent to those days, both songs packing that classic Deep Purple-esque sound with their gallop riff and gut-churning organ dual attack.
The atmospheric prog metal balladry of “Nothing Can Follow This” brings Come This Madness to an intense close, once again conjuring shadows of the aforementioned Opeth and Katatonia, as well as Amorphis. If nothing else, Come This Madness is arguably Europe’s most fascinating entry to date, and damn strong at that. This is a band who still have something to say and aren’t afraid to take musical risks in an effort to get their point across, nostalgia circuit be damned. Despite the implied finality of “Nothing Can Follow This”, I sure hope something does follow Come This Madness, because I’m all for Europe’s newfound prog metal arc.
8 out of 10
Label: Silver Lining Music
Genre: Heavy Metal/Hard Rock
For fans of: Deep Purple, Magnum, Amorphis
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