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29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's the final countdown...oh-wohhhhhhh!, July 29, 2003
OK, having lived in the 1980's, this shouldn't come as a big surprise, but despite how this genre of music and style of musicians has been dismissed as kitsch and cheese, I'll come straight out with it: I like hair bands. There, I've said it, and one of the groups that may have served as the classic case was Europe, hailing from Stockholm.I could not get enough of the title track, which had hit #1 in the UK. The booming bass synthesizer, then the majestic (some might call it bombastic), brass-like synths kicking in, then a voice counting down to 0, before the drums join the anthem-like synths, taking full control. I was slowly dipping my toe in metal at this point and was totally able to handle this, what was derisively called hard metal, or even pop metal. Anyway, the apocalyptic song about leaving Earth because "there is no one to blame" reflects an Earth scorched by WW3. John Norum's blistering guitar solo is also a highlight. The pounding "Rock The Night" has a beat like some of Survivor's anthems, although its awash with guitars chugging and squealing over the place. The opening lyrics "I've gone through changes/I've gone through pain/.../I'm in a rage up from my head down to my toes" reflected the way I felt then, and I must confess, right now. That John Norum could play! Yes, Europe did power ballads as well, and I'm torn between the title track and the strained-relationship song "Carrie" as my favorite number here. I'm reminded of other emotional power ballads such as those by Heart and Damn Yankees' "High Enough" for the potency this has. Apart from Joey Tempest's vocals, the rest of the group engage in some Queen-type harmonies. Another "bombastic" keyboard opening, followed by strong Norum guitar work on "Danger On The Track". The song mirrors a Western story of a man, possibly an outlaw, leaving for the mountains, promising to return to his girl, only to be harassed my other men along the way. A very engaging number. The pace continues briskly with "Ninja", taking the action to Japan, where Joey wants to learn the stories and legends, the battles, dreaming of being the title figure. With "Cherokee", detailing the forced relocation, i.e. Trail of Tears, they seem to be taking a page from Iron Maiden's book on social-consciousness of Native Americans, i.e. "Run Through The Hills." "So much to bear/all that pain/left them in despair/they lost their faith/and now they had to learn/there was no place to return." While I really admire this song, they could've put more oomph and anger into this to make it into more a powerhouse. The archetypal wanderer returning home is the subject of the power ballad "Time Has Come": "Pray for the soldier, who's wounded bad/Pray for the dreamer, he's still so sad." Pray for the dreamer... oh, that's me! "Heart Of Stone" is a mid-paced number. "On The Loose" boasts snarling guitar opening with thundering drums, a good song to play on the highway. The subject here mirrors me: "He lives from day to day/looking for something to do/he needs to get away/hoping that maybe one day/He could be someone/praying that maybe someday/he could be number one." "Love Chaser" has a sound kind of mirroring Maiden's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner." And the three live bonus tracks enhance this album. In answering how heavy or hard Europe is compared to others in the hard-metal genre such as Poison, Winger, Warrant, or Whitesnake, it$B!G(Bs difficult, all because of differing rhythms and guitar work, but they are more polished than say, Bon Jovi or Winger, due to their heavy keyboard-work, which made them unique. Kevin Elson, who produced Journey's Escape, did his magic on this one, making it harder-edged than Wings Of Tomorrow. I wonder what would've happened if Europe stayed with him for their next album, but the following year, Europe knocked on the door of someone who had revived the careers of Heart, Ozzy Osbourne, and gave life to Survivor. Stay tuned.
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21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
80's Glam Metal Fused w/ Keyboards, October 7, 2002
Does it get much more 80's sounding than this? The smooth keyboards mixed with the heavy chugs and riffs of the glam-era guitar. The fusion of the two sounds is, in this case, a very polished, fluid sound. And throw into the mix precise drumming and Joey Tempest's soaring, whirlwind vocals and you've got what this album is: an 80's glam metal GEM. A truly amazing piece of work from Europe in '86."The Final Countdown" is one of the four most-solid tracks on the disc. With an almost ethereal, rocket-me-to-the-moon feel to the rhythm, the tone, and the sound of the band's instruments playing in perfect harmony, this song reminds me of Dokken's "Unchain the Night" in that while it is a metal song, it has a more commercial sound to it that attracts the female audience very nicely while still appealing to the male taste for edginess in the music. A fantastic song. And if the dudes out there that pick up this album and wonder who the heck calls this metal at ALL, just get to tracks like "Rock the Night" and "Danger On the Track". "Rock..." is one of my favorite four tracks on this album, and "Danger..." is a cut above many glam-era metal tunes. And "Ninja" rips and rolls right along without pause or lethargy, lemme tell ya-- another great song. All three of these songs have some pretty decent axe work, though at times they are drowned by the keyboards. If the guys still aren't convinced that any metal --even glam-era metal-- should include keyboards (Judas Priest didn't fair too well with keyboards on their "Turbo" 1986 release), perhaps a last hope for their approval of this album is the power ballad "Carrie", a favorite of my girlfriend, my sister, and a few other women I know. Something about Tempest's powerful vox, the lyrics, and the precise use of the synths just get a lot of chicks all starry-eyed and soft-- and guys, you can use this to your advantage! But "Carrie" is, IMHO, a very good song. It's actually what hooked me on Europe. Anyway, I want to add as well that the guitars in this album are very much a force. There are just as many chugs, riffs, chords, squeals, and pings as in Danger Danger's '89 debut or in Whitesnake's self-titled '87 release. So if you're looking for some really quite good guitar work, this album's got lots of it in addition to some very good melodies, some insanely catchy tunes, and vocals comparable to Don Dokken's, David Coverdale's, and Jon Bon Jovi's as far as range, power, and smoothness. The second half of the album, including the songs "Cherokee", "Love Chaser", and "On the Loose", is certainly not filler material by any means. Also the whole album seems to flow as one solid unit, the transition from song to song is seamless. On this version of the album, there are bonus tracks, albeit they are simply live versions of three of the first four tracks. But after hearing the live versions of "Carrie" and "The Final Countdown", I was very pleased that I bought this extended version of this album, rather than the hard-to-find standard studio version. You won't be disappointed with this album-- well worth the twelve smackos. If you like this group's sound, dynamics, and sytle, I recommend Danger Danger, Whitesnake, and Dokken.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
As atmospheric and cool as outer space itself, September 3, 2004
The Final Countdown by Europe is a perfect example of a milestone 80's glam-rock album that's just as enjoyable to listen to today as it was back when it was first released. This is atmospheric, melodic hair band rock at its best. And unlike other hair bands from the 80's, The Final Countdown isn't pure cheese. Ok, perhaps there's *some* cheese here and there. But then again that's what made the 80's so fun. I for one won't ever condemn that.
One thing I've always loved about The Final Countdown is the keyboard arrangements and solos, giving the songs a spacial quality. The song that hands-down uses keyboards most effectively is the title track. Who can ever forget that opening keyboard riff. That's quality stuff, folks. And of course there's the power-ballad "Carrie," which has remained one of my favorite ballads from the 80's. I first heard this song when I had my first crush, and whenever I play it these days I remember her and ponder over it's lyrics, "Maybe we'll meet, again, somewhere, again." The perfect song for anyone remembering a lost love and wondering if they're still out there somewhere.
As with other fans who purchased The Final Countdown, I first bought it on cassette and eventually wore it out. It got pushed back in my dusty pile of other cassettes and stayed there for many years. I was one happy person when this great album was re-released on CD, remastered. The sound quality is stunning, and is an immediately noticeable improvement from the first pressing. Even if you still have the cassette and it hasn't been worn out, you would be crazy not to buy this remastered CD version. And if for some reason better sound quality isn't worth a purchase to you, this version offers 3 bonus tracks, live cuts of "The Final Countdown," "Danger on the Track" and "Carrie." Can't beat that. All in all, a superb album.
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