Europe
Secret Society

Attempting to write a review of a new album by Europe can be a trap; one might fall into the snare that these five Scandinavian guys have laid for us: making us believe they are still the same. To avoid misunderstanding, our five remain the same, Tempest-Michaeli-Leven-Norum-Haughland, just a few more years and many less teased hair.

In the full artistic and professional maturity of the musicians a couple of years ago, they gifted us with the "reunion" album, the excellent "Start From The Dark," which carried with it all the doubts that a "reunion" can imagine: "Will they last long or was it just a game?" "Secret Society" wipes it all away with one stroke. And it is as distant from its predecessors as the years have passed since the last beautiful and different album of the "first era," "Prisoners In Paradise." No longer prisoners in paradise, but free on earth, free to show what a real band must know how to do: PLAY, not necessarily with metallic outfits and bleached hair. Hard and melodic sound, and very modern. Pressing play on the playlist of songs that Winamp shows me after extracting it from the CD, the tracks glide away one after the other, Tempest and Co. don't give us a single moment to breathe because the album is incredibly homogeneous and to be listened to in one go.

Norum presents us with the opener "Secret Society", pompous and with a powerful and wicked guitar riff that keeps us company until the end, also giving space to Michaeli's keyboards. Tempest's interpretation in this track is strange and appreciated.

"Always The Pretenders", which is also the first single, lightens everything up a bit with a more melodic chorus where Norum shows us what style is for a guitarist. The melody is excellent, but I wouldn't have chosen it as a single.

With "Love Is Not The Enemy", we return to the style of the opener, with Norum's guitar absolutely in the foreground on which Tempest sings a fierce melody. A fast and beautiful track, perfect for opening a concert and fighting with the long-haired neighbor who blocks your view.

With "Wish I Could Believe", the beats per minute decrease, and the melody rises, with a slow pace, Tempest and Norum accompany us slowly allowing us to hear excellent solos and a leading voice. A nod to the past, a bit seventies.

"Let The Children Play" is a beautiful midtempo, where in this case, the opposite rock-solid guitar of Norum and the beautiful melody sung by Tempest. The children's choir in the middle of the song is interesting, one of the gems of the album.

In "Human After All" there is a bit more room for the other musicians, Tempest sings a decent melody interspersed with good contributions from Leven and Michaeli, but the song is not the best of the album.

It rockets back with "The Gateway Plan", Haughland sets the tempo, and the pace is sustained from start to finish, Tempest shouts a beautiful melody, and the 4 musicians all give their best, with Norum standing out once again.

"A Mother Son" is the ballad, a melancholic and sad ballad. It was right to include it, even if it wasn't necessary.

"Forever Travelling", which strangely reminded me of Stratovarius from 10 years ago with Kiss Of Judas, simple drums, and bass to keep the time and a great vocal performance by Tempest interspersed with excellent interventions by Norum.

"Brave And Beautiful Soul" pleased me less than the others, great pace but perhaps lacking the originality of the other tracks.

"Devil Sings The Blues" raises the level of the album again, which is closed by a fading solo by Norum.

Europe is back, and they've done so grandly. For those willing to believe it and for those who smirk. The bleached hair and metallic outfits are a distant memory shattered into a thousand pieces by the four instruments that our guys today wield with much more awareness. Because at 40, one is better than at 20. Norum certainly takes the lead and does so with full merit, but he never detaches from the group as he might in his solo work. Then, the genre may please or displease, and the nostalgic might wrinkle their noses and scream betrayal, but it must not be said that the five Scandinavians missed the mark.