Europe | Secret Society

Taken from melodicrock.com

EUROPE TURN TO SECRET SOCIETY FOR NEW STUDIO ALBUM:

The hard rock heroes – still in the original line-up with front man Joey Tempest, guitarist John Norum, keyboarder Mic Michaeli, drummer Ian Haugland and bass player John Leven – present their 7th studio album Secret Society, released once more on Sanctuary Records GmbH.

Already in 2004 Sanctuary Records and Europe celebrated a fantastic comeback with Start From The Dark together. This year the fruitful co-operation between band and label continues, adding the US and Scandinavia as additional territories. Truly, in 2006, Europe are reinventing themselves and are seeking new challenges!

Stylistically, their previous album Start From The Dark was still close to the sound and songwriting of their hugely successful 1986 album The Final Countdown which sold 8 million copies worldwide. Secret Society is a definitive step forward into the ranks of other contemporary hard rock legends. Mixed by Stefan Glaumann (e.g. Rammstein, Within Temptation, Apoptygma Berzerk) and mastered by George Marino (e.g. Velvet Revolver, U2) in the Sterling Sound Studios, N.Y., this entirely self-produced album sounds deliciously modern and tips its hat only once in a while to past accomplishments or pays hommage to idols Led Zeppelin, who also worked with Europe's sound engineer Lennart Östlund.
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Europe release their new album Secret Society on October 27 – accompanied by several concerts throughout Europe.

After hearing the album once, it sounds pretty much the same as SFTD. More (heavy) guitars than keyboards. But there´s something that they haven´t done before. "Psychedelia", children choir singing in the background... The title track confused me at first because it didn´t sound Europe at all. Joey didn´t sound like Joey at times. A bit psychedelic. The first single, Always the Pretenders, is my favourite. Great, catchy chorus. Some of the songs aren´t that memorable. In one ear, out the other. Favourites so far: Always the Pretenders, Let the ChildrenPlay, A Mothers Son, Forever Traveling and Devil Sings the Blues. The only one I didn´t like is the title track. IMO.

How did you manage to listen to it? I quite liked Start From The Dark although after a while it sounds quite simplistic and predictable. But I always like Europe and I am looking forward to this.

oh, all right. Thought u worked for some record company or something. I guess you wouldn't share, would you?

I liked Start From The Dark, but if it hadn't been for the title track as an icebreaker, things might've been different. Are the keyboards actually more prominent in the mix or still buried by the detuned guitars? And, uhm, any hints as far as the prelistening opportunities are concerned?

Start From The Dark is actually a good album, although it does sound incredibly like Audioslave. Maybe I'll download some of this one to see if it's any good

Listening to it now... mix seems a lot better than on SFTD, but a bit too many effects. Also:
Neither Michaeli nor Haughland are original members.