The group is made up of guitarist John Norum, vocalist Joey Tempest, bass player Peter Olsson and the drummer Tony Reno.
The group rose to fame after the release of their third album called "The Final Countdown" in 1986. It was used on a range of different commercials and sold over three million copies in the US.
The group uses a range of metal/ blues metal genres in their music, "The Final Countdown" was said to be a masterpiece that contributed many different simultaneous styles.
Europe sold over 20 million albums world wide and was considered to be a huge rock band of the 1980s. The band is said to be influenced by Thin Lizzy, Led Zeppelin, KISS and the likes of Black Label Society.
In 2011, Europe headlined the closing ceremonies at the 22nd World Scout Jamboree in Sweden before a huge audience. Later that year they announced their ninth studio album that was produced by Kevin Shirley, it was named "Bag of Bones". The album went on to reach number two on the Swedish Album Chart.
In 2013 the band played at the Sweden Rock Festival, their performance was released on DVD and CD for their 30th Anniversary as a group.
For many, at this point in time, Europe’s ‘The Final Countdown’ will inspire images of GOB from Arrested Development and his flamboyant introduction to his magic show; the truth is, though, that that song has a far wider significance in rock history, having topped the charts in twenty five countries back in 1986. The band themselves, though, would surely take offence at accusations of being one-hit wonders; they’ve had three platinum records, and continue to be a major commercial force in their native Sweden. After an eleven year lay-off between 1992 and 2003 - the split was amicable - they continue to record and tour today. Time hasn’t slowed them down, either, with their live shows continuing to be high-octane, relentlessly energetic affairs; frontman Joey Tempest is irrepressible, acting as a conduit for the crowd’s energy whilst the rest of the band perform in front of a veritable mountain of Marshall amps. They’ve toured the UK regularly since the reunion, with their most recent jaunt just this last April, a co-headlining affair with Foreigner that had them running through the classics as well as a slew of material from 2012’s Bag of Bones LP. With a significant fanbase the world over, don’t expect Europe to vanish any time soon; not unless they step inside GOB’s Aztec Tomb, anyway.
Joeg_67
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