In a brand new interview with Anthony Bryant of The Hair Steel Guru, EUROPE drummer Ian Haugland spoke concerning the progress of the songwriting periods for the Swedish band’s long-awaited subsequent LP. He mentioned (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): ”It has been some time now since we recorded the final album; 2017 [is when] ‘Stroll The Earth’ got here out. And it does not really feel prefer it’s — no matter — seven years or eight years because it was launched, as a result of — I do not know — the older you get, the quicker time spins, I assume. However we now lastly are gonna launch a brand new album subsequent 12 months, and we’re gonna file it beginning in October this 12 months.”
Requested if all of the songs for EUROPE‘s new album have already been written, Ian mentioned: “Yeah, most of it’s completed, I might say. I feel we have now greater than that covers an album. And you recognize what?! The good factor with having seven years between the albums is that we had time to essentially acquire nice materials. So there is no sense of dashing round these songs. And the great factor with not having Sony Data dictating is that we are able to choose precisely the songs we wish to, we personal the recordings. We simply deliver them — like LED ZEPPELIN did within the ’60s; they’d deliver the grasp and say, ‘That is it. Take it or depart it.’ So we’re residing after that formulation today.”
Relating to whether or not EUROPE has already selected a title for the upcoming album, Ian mentioned: “No. Nicely, we have been sort of feeling it out a bit of. There are some titles that may be appropriate for album titles. However we even have the sensation that the album title normally presents itself through the course of. When you get into the studio and also you begin recording, you get that, ‘Oh, wow. It is a good album identify.’ However I’ve to say, and it isn’t attempting to promote the brand new album, however I’ve to say at this stage I by no means heard this many superior tune concepts or completed songs as we have now for this forthcoming album. It is gonna be actually a case of ‘kill your darlings’ once we begin recording it. At this early stage nonetheless, they really feel like very properly thought-through creations with compositions inside composition, if you recognize what I imply. Solo components which might be composed as a very new half. It is actually inspiring. Yeah, I feel that is gonna be the fucking best album ever. [Laughs]”
Elaborating on the musical route of the brand new EUROPE materials, Ian mentioned: “I’ve to say this album is extra of a kind of an homage to the ’80s within the sense of, I might say, much more, much more melodic concepts and, as I mentioned, melodic — not solos, however melodies that carry the tune. So, yeah, it is extra of an homage to the ’80s, I might say. It is actually thrilling.”
This previous April, EUROPE singer Joey Tempest instructed Colombia’s Radioacktiva about the truth that it has been eight years since he and his bandmates launched their final studio album: “Actually, we have by no means had this lengthy break — ever. I imply, once we did ‘Bag Of Bones’ [2012], ‘Conflict Of Kings’ [2015] and ‘Stroll The Earth’, these three albums, they had been, like, growth, growth, growth, touring all the best way. After which swiftly COVID hit and we had some additional time. After which it sort of felt okay to go away it a bit and to reside with the concepts, to jot down new stuff. And that is why this [upcoming EUROPE] album’s gonna be particular. These songs we lived with for some time — they’re robust and there is some robust melodies. And it is gonna make this album particular, that it has this additional time. However we have been touring ever since, as you recognize. So we’re all the time on the highway, however we’ve not been within the studio, and we’re going on this autumn, and that is gonna be an enormous second.”
Earlier that very same month, Haugland was requested by Brazil’s Marcelo Vieira how EUROPE‘s longtime followers have reacted to the band’s latest studio output, which has adopted a extra blues/basic rock route as an alternative of the poppy laborious rock from the group’s most commercially profitable years. Ian responded: “Among the extra kind of ’80s lovers, they’ve some — I should not say ‘detrimental’ ideas, however they miss the previous EUROPE, as they are saying. [They tell us], ‘It is best to write extra melodic songs’ or no matter. However I feel our ideas [have] all the time been [that] a very powerful factor for the band to maneuver on is to not solely transfer on and play the previous songs, however to provide ourselves the house to develop as musicians, as a band, with attempting totally different sounds out. And I feel we have been on a musical journey.’
He continued: “The final couple of albums have been extra in direction of the bluesier laborious rock. And now the newest one, which truly got here eight years in the past, ‘Stroll The Earth’, is so much impressed by our roots, like RAINBOW and [LED] ZEPELIN and DEEP PURPLE. So it is extra of that. And proper now we’re writing songs for a brand new album that’s gonna be recorded later this 12 months. And I feel that now we’re possibly extra again to the melodic EUROPE, kind of. So we’re on the journey swaying from totally different kinds and angles. And I feel it is necessary for us to have the ability to develop on a regular basis. However I might say most of our followers are constructive to our growth.”
Additionally in April, Tempest confirmed to Brazilian music journalist Igor Miranda that he and his EUROPE bandmates had been engaged on new materials. “It has been an extended whereas,” he mentioned. “We have by no means had this lengthy of a break earlier than — ever. We all the time transfer from tour into the studio, tour into the studio. I imply, ‘Bag Of Bones’, ‘Conflict Of Kings’ and ‘Stroll The Earth’, it was a interval in our lives, a really energetic interval. However we have been touring ever since, although, ever since ‘Stroll The Earth’. However we’ve not been within the studio. I imply, it began a bit with the, the interval of COVID, that made us kind of begin over once more. In a manner, it was good for writing as a result of I might begin from scratch. There was extra time swiftly. There was not, like, ‘Let’s file an album as a result of we have gotta get again on the highway.’ We had time swiftly. So that is what makes the brand new album attention-grabbing. In a manner, it appears like a debut album as a result of it has had life. We needed to reside with concepts for years. And that is how debut albums are with bands, ‘trigger bands are out touring they usually have written the songs they usually reside with them, they play them. And it feels a bit like that. It feels contemporary, this new EUROPE album.”
In March, Joey instructed El Expreso Del Rock that the musical route of the upcoming EUROPE LP will not be just like that of “Stroll The Earth” and “Conflict Of Kings”. He mentioned: “No, it’s going to transfer on. It will be a brand new journey. However I understand, listening to a few of the demos we make now, that it is actually robust, [with] nice melodies. A few of it is actually heavy as properly. However there’s additionally some connection to the previous.
“I am writing with everybody,” he revealed. “I am writing with John [Norum, guitar], I am writing with John [Levén, bass] and Mic [Michaeli, keyboards]. And there is lovely melodies there as properly. I am actually excited. There’s some nice songs approaching. And it has been some time, so we have had time to reside with the music, virtually like a debut album, virtually like the primary album, as a result of we have now years to reside with the songs. We all know a few of them are actually robust as a result of they’ve endurance; they’ve stayed for years now. So yeah, this could possibly be an attention-grabbing album.
“Yeah, we identical to to go on our personal journey, however all the time carry your previous with you,” he defined. “That is the factor.”
In September 2023, EUROPE launched a brand new tune titled “Maintain Your Head Up”. The monitor, which was described by the band as “a punchy uptempo rocker with reminiscent parts of early EUROPE,” was recorded in August 2023 at Atlantis Studios in Stockholm with producer Klas Åhlund (GHOST, ROBYN) and was blended by Stefan Glaumann (RAMMSTEIN, DEF LEPPARD),who additionally blended EUROPE‘s “Secret Society” album.
In an interview with Steel International, Tempest was requested why he and his EUROPE bandmates determined to file and launch only one tune at the moment. Tempest mentioned: “We wished to get this prepared earlier than the [fall 2023 European] tour and the [upcoming EUROPE] documentary. So we targeted on this tune so we might have one thing out along with the tour and the documentary. That is why we launched one tune now. However we have now a handful of songs — nice concepts.”
Relating to the expertise of working with Åhlund this time round, Joey mentioned: “It was an ideal expertise. All of us favored it. The entire band wish to do extra stuff with him. We do not know whether or not he is gonna be the producer of the [upcoming EUROPE] album but, however… No, we do not know but. I imply, it will be an attention-grabbing thought, truly. However we’ve not determined but. However we had been very comfortable discovering him and dealing with him. He is very skilled, and he is additionally listened to EUROPE when he was youthful and so he is aware of how we predict. And the process with him was superb. It went actually clean, and he is a really proficient, very proficient man. He is a guitar participant as properly.”
Joey additionally talked concerning the musical route of “Maintain Your Head Up”, which Botas famous is a mixture of the basic EUROPE sound and the band’s newer, bluesier strategy. The singer mentioned: “I feel it is a good combination within the tune. We by no means actually set out to try this. It was an thought I had, and I despatched it to the blokes and everyone was, like, ‘Yeah, that is nice. Let’s do this.’ So, it is a pure development, however I feel you are proper. I feel it is a bit of little bit of some melodies, particularly within the verses, in the long run of the verses there, there’s melodies that remind you of a few of the earlier stuff. However possibly the refrain and the riff a bit of bit, it is also fairly contemporary and extra fashionable, I suppose. So yeah, it is bought a little bit of every part, nevertheless it nonetheless feels like EUROPE, which is admittedly cool.”
“Maintain Your Head Up” was made obtainable to stream and obtain on September 29, 2023 throughout all respected digital platforms, together with Spotify, Apple, iTunes, Amazon Music, Deezer, Tidal, Pandora and YouTube Music.
“Stroll The Earth” was launched in October 2017 through Hell & Again Recordings (Silver Lining Music). It was recorded at famed Abbey Street Studios in London with Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb (RIVAL SONS, Shooter Jennings, Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton).
Photograph credit score: Fredrik Etoall
