Europe – Walk the Earth
Release Date: October 20, 2017
Label: Victor Entertainment
In 2015, Europe (yes, THAT Europe) emerged with an album called War of Kings that absolutely blew my mind. The sound of that album in general caught me so off guard and it ignited this fandom in me that I never knew I could have for them. Well, Europe has done it once again with Walk the Earth and much like its predecessor, Walk the Earth left me nearly speechless.
Walk the Earth is a great example of how a band from the 80’s doesn’t always have to be connected to their past in order to move forward. Hell, in a lot of ways, Europe is a totally different band. Even though the line-up is all original, the sound of the band is much more mature and honestly, it’s almost how I would expect and hope that every band would grow. As Europe has gotten older and more mature, so has their sound and the lyrical content.
“Walk the Earth” is such a powerful opening song and it’s a song I can totally hear as a show opener. “The Siege” has easily one of the best fucking hooks I’ve heard from these guys in some time but it’s Kingdom United” where I feel like it all came together. The energy, the groove, Joey Tempest’s vocals are just off the chart. Europe definitely channeled their inner Deep Purple/Rainbow on this one and once again they pulled it off like they’ve been playing like this all their lives. I also loved hearing a bit of Black Sabbath influence on “Haze” which showed another layer of Europe that we haven’t seen a lot of up to this point.
Europe never ceases to amaze me with their new material. With each album, Europe seems to solidify themselves as a very current and very valid band in these later years. While I’ve heard some people that say they miss Europe’s more fluffy, melodic 80’s side, I have to say that hearing them dip their toes into darker waters is far more interesting to me. It’s just such a great surprise to hear a band from that era not sound dated or living past their expiration date. At this rate, there is no expiration date on Europe and if they keep making albums like this one, they will continue to have a devoted fan in me.
