Europe
Secret Society

Two years have passed since the remarkable "Start From The Dark," the much-heralded comeback of the historic Swedish combo, and we find ourselves facing a new chapter to seal the complete rebirth of the northerners: "Secret Society."

If the previous work delighted us with a hybrid conjunction between eighties hard'n'heavy and "alternative" experimentalism, this new effort elevates the aforementioned proposal to the highest levels, creating an authentic masterpiece of modern melodic-rock.
The combination between profuse technicalities and immediacy in the verse-chorus duo is perfect throughout the platter. No smudges of any kind, pieces composed with the intent to imprint themselves in the mind at the speed of light, rhythm-guitaristic intertwines that are acrobatic yet always impactful, keys creating the eighties feel that made them famous and, above all, a Tempest in dazzling form, capable (at 43 years old!) of outshining many younger colleagues.

The difference with the previous album stands in the amalgamation of compact mastering, aimed at giving that "radio-friendly" quid to embellish songs that already shine on their own for freshness and modernism. "Secret Society," the title-track, lives between blues-thrash atmospheres and keyboards that launch into prog-power solo turns, while the fantastic "Always The Pretenders" opens gently acoustic only to explode into a tight riffing reminiscent of Purple, adorned by Joey's throat, incredibly intense and assured. A chorus to shout at the top of your lungs and a solo full of feeling make it the absolute peak of the platter. In "Gateway Plan," Blackmore's Rainbow peep through, very aggressive guitar parts duel with melodic but full of energy vocals where Levén and Haugland generate a fanciful, fast, and precise rhythmic delirium. It's incredible to realize that these musicians are in their forties, and it's important to understand what musical origins animate Europe, unjustly long accused of the inability to "play hard."

In the mid-tempo "Wish I Could Believe," you can even hear A Perfect Circle with the mellifluous introductory guitar work, while the "graceful" roughness hovers in the sonic dizziness of "Human After All." An intensely captivating battle between bass and drums, dark and incisive in riffing between Sabs and groove-rock but above all enriched by an old-fashioned chorus with tear-jerking emotionality. "A Mothers Son" embodies the features of a ballad with dramatically-nostalgic atmospheres imbued with sulfurous keyboards and an over-the-top vocal performance, solitary in the verses, solemn yet always harmonious in the chorus. Past moods storm back in the delicacy of "Forever Travelling," Norum lets himself go with a light and velvety six-string, Joey does the rest by giving us a melody of great charisma close to the glories of "Out Of This World."

The closure entrusted to "Devil Sing The Blues" melts into an intro reminiscent of Opeth's "Still Life" to continue in a vocal work filled with sad passion and solid accompanying riffs. A grand finale in an impactful succession of solos by an immense John Norum, capable of making the instrument "sing" like few others.

Finally, "Secret Society" represents the best way to make a musical genre that has now gone out of fashion, like the eighties hard rock, relevant and without leaning too much, I consider it the stylistic-compositional peak of the band both for completeness and maturity. Once again in the spotlight just like in the old days.