EUROPE: The Final Countdown (A.O.R.): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

After 2 albums of an effective Hard Rock and flirting slightly with the Hard FM, Europe releases in 1986 an album which will succeed at the same time in dividing the amateurs of Hard-Rock and in rallying them a great number of listeners until then insensitive to this musical style. Because "The Final Countdown" will be a huge commercial success, in particular thanks to the eponymous title, released as a single.

On the one hand, there are those who regret the style of the first 2 albums of the band. It's hard to prove them wrong when a few researches allow us to see that Joey Tempest composed almost the entire album with the more or less recognized objective of reaching a wider audience and to impose himself on the FM waves. He will even admit to have been inspired by the track 'Too Wild' of his compatriots Treat to compose one of the other hits of the album, namely, the very rock'n'roll 'Rock The Night' with its incendiary guitar solo. The only track he shares the writing is the ballad 'Carrie', also a radio hit and for which keyboardist Mic Michaeli gave a hand.

On the other hand, there are those who appreciate this evolution. Commercial success does not necessarily mean betrayal of the style and this album is the proof. Indeed, apart from the ballads a little bit cheesy ('Carrie') or ending up going in circles ('Time Has Come'), Europe offers us 8 tracks of dynamic and catchy Hard FM. We won't come back on the two hits previously mentioned. On the other hand, it would be a shame to forget the percussive 'Danger On The Track' where the Deep Purple-like keyboards share an excellent solo with the guitar. In the same vein, 'Cherokee' benefits from an effective chorus and has the merit to treat the ordeal of the Indian people of the same name. As for 'Heart Of Stone', it leans on a heavy rhythmic to serve us a Hard FM muscle endowed with an immediately memorable chorus, and there also, John Norum offers us a solo full of feeling.

But our Swedes are also able to accelerate the rhythm on 'Ninja' or 'On The Loose' and thus propose a fast Hard FM that Tobruk would not have denied. The keyboards remain omnipresent and are fleshed out by particularly well found choirs. Only 'Love Chaser' lowers a little bit the level at the end of the album, because it is particularly handicapped by a keyboard riff close to the one of the eponymous title, which does not make it a bad song, but the resemblance remains difficult to forget.

In the end, "The Final Countdown" will be a phenomenal success. On the positive side, the band will remain on the front of the musical scene for some time and will become the official European challenger of Bon Jovi. On the negative side, they will lock themselves up for a while in a commercial style that will end up going in circles, which will lead to a separation that we could have think definitive. However, it remains a must-have album that very few bands had the chance to write. - Official website

EUROPE

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

EPIC

A.O.R.