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1 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Europe is back in a big way! May 02, 2008
Some of the other reviews here made me hesitate to buy this album, but I am quite happy I ignored them. This album rocks!
If you're expecting "The Final Countdown Part II", I can see how you would be disappointed. This album definitely goes into different territory, but not in a bad way. Let me explain.
In the mid 90s, a lot of "hair" bands were trying to update their sounds to fit with the times. This yielded some mediocre albums such as Queensryche's Hear in the Now Frontier, Warrant's Belly to Belly, and Dokken's Shadowlife (just to name a few). All these albums included the distorted vocals so popular in the grunge scene at the time, and they lacked any standout guitar work. What really separated the "hair" bands from the grunge bands in the first place was the fact that they had guys who could sing and guys who could shred. Why you would want to downplay that, I never did quite figure out.
Start From the Dark succeeds where these attempts failed. Joey Tempest's amazing voice and John Norum's great guitar work are prominent. Their sound has been "updated", but they succeed in doing this without betraying their roots. This album is certainly heavier than most (if not all) of their previous efforts, so if you're looking for Europe to go the way of Bon Jovi, then think again. Just the first three tracks alone ("Got to Have Faith", "Start From The Dark" and "Flames") are worth the price of the album.
All in all, I was extremely pleased with this album. Now I definitely have to pick up their more recent Secret Society!
1 of 2 found the following review helpful:
The Movieholic Reviews Jan 14, 2008
The first album after their longtime absence served them justice. The Europe sound is back and here to stay as the title track explains how starting from scratch into the new century can open up a new fan base. A song titled "Hero" does make a statement that without their fans, recording a new album would be pointless and that they are not making an album just to record, but to also go with their Faith. I highly recommend this album if you are a fan of not only Europe, but also the style of music that broke out in the late 80s
0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
A Must Have Dec 25, 2007
This is a new Era for Europe. All the tracks are up to date with the heavy styles on 21's century rock and roll. Great Sound, good lyrics and over all, Great Guitars!!
Good for them and I am glad for having it.
Yul Lopez
1 of 2 found the following review helpful:
they have come a long way. Dec 07, 2007
i have been a fan of europe from back in the 80's and had not heard anything from them until 2 years ago i got secret sociaty and thought, Hmmm they sound pretty darn good, new material up to date and John Norum is back and get this. he brought his guitar, a very under rated youth of his time, has grown into the statis of guitar hero at very least, if you are a fan of guitar work, even from past 80's albums, europe will suprise you, give a good honest listen and let your ears be the judge, start from the dark will leave you thinking, hmm how did i miss these guys and have you wanting more.
1 of 2 found the following review helpful:
One of those rare 'AMAZING comebacks' Aug 11, 2007
No more catchy synth lines, no more 80's pop-hair-metal vocals, these guys are now Hard Rockers. You're saying, "no way, not the same band that released The Final Countdown"...well, my friends, you are wrong.
How can one album sound so new yet so classic? Is it the crystal clear production? Is it the hard-as-hell riffs but melodic-as-hell leads? Is it the interesting and meaningful lyrics? Is it the incredible diversity in the style of songs on the album? Well, I honestly don't know how to answer that.
How can the song "Hero" sound so fresh and yet be an undenyable re-creation of "Carrie"? How can tracks like "Spirit of the Underdog", "America", and "Wake Up Call" rock so much, at the same time having an incredibly melodic side to it?
There is not a single track on this album that I skip, I play it all the way through all the time, and this is coming from a big Europe fan, a fan of all their earlier albums with no exceptions. You can really tell that the guys worked their souls out on this record...but, obviously, still won't get any airplay in this pathetic-music-scene country known as the United States. I hope they go Platinum in Europe, because this material is just THAT DAMN GOOD.
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