Customer Reviews

Last Look at Eden

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

You've got to hand it to Europe.....they really know how to rock out. When many bands half their age are already going soft and selling out, Europe continues to up the hard rock ante.

Sure, this album, as a whole, is not quite as bombastic as it's predecessor, "Secret Society," but there are more songs with hooks on this album. The title track is epic, and will stick in your head. The ballad "New Love in Town" seems to blend together earlier hits "Carrie" and "Prisoner in Paradise" and add a little blues touch into the mix. "The Beast" is a hard rock track that sounds as if it could have come right off of their earliest albums. "U Devil U" and "Gonna Get Ready" begin with a bad*** slow, grinding beat and burst into big melodic choruses. The album blends the sounds of old Europe and new Eurpoe, and does so effectively.

Not every track is perfect, though. "Catch that Plane" sounds monotone, and the album loses considerable steam as it winds down, but it is redeemed by the inclusion of the two live tracks, which are incredible performances that inject life into the album to close it out on a great note. Europe may have sung "The Final Countdown" back in 1987....but as "Only Young Twice" proves, this band has new life and they are living it, apparently, to the fullest. If this is what a midlife crisis sounds like, I cannot wait for mine to begin! 4.5 stars.

Indeed, there is little doubt IMHO that this is the best, the most complete and sumptuous slab of wattage Europe have unleashed since they reconvened. Start From the Dark had it's moments but the rusty interplay was a bit obvious in that John Norums riffs and Joey Tempests vox seemed utterly disconnected on many numbers. Secret Society was a good album, no doubt about it. But this is a touch better. It hangs together much like Secret Society did but it has a certain X factor and I can understand why some people are giving this the full five star treatment.

On this album Europe does a range of things right. The prelude sets the tone for the whole album, a nifty little intro number of the sort you may more normally expect from a power metal band. The title track itself is a sturdy hard rocker where all things gel nicely. Elsewhere we get some interesting keys/riff/vox interplay on tunes such as No Stone Unturned which at times seems like a song with some form of multiple personality disorder as the chorus swoops on a Tempest vocal hook while Norum warbles away in the background and Mic Micheali comes over all 70's prog tinged during the lulls. Other noteworthy numbers are the funky U Devil U which personally I find a bit twee though it's hard to argue with the amount of roll it gives you with your serving of rock.

The production isn't as warm and traditional sounding as Secret Society but that's not to say it's not as good, just things seem more ..... shiny here. The booklet comes with full lyrics and I was lucky enough to score the version with a couple of bonus tracks. Don't get too carried away on this however as neither are new songs, rather live renditions of a) Yesterdays News and b) Wake Up Call.

All up this is a fine, fine effort that has seen the band very much back in the spotlight - Classic Rock gave this 8/10 and even Metal Hammer(UK) were being nice to the band not to mention their headlining of the Bloodstock Festival to much internet consternation. If you were ever a fan of this band it's probably a good idea to grab this CD as it will become a trusted companion in the car, the office and around the home such is it's utility. Almost five stars.

When I was at high school and college if you liked Europe you were either a girl or batted for the other team. I'm talking about when Iron Maiden, Metallica, Megadeth, Judas Priest and AC/DC ruled. Everyone had to have a denim jacket adorned with patches of these bands, and although showing yourself as a fan of these tough bands also showed everyone how tough you were (so you thought), you were allowed to be a fan of bands like Motley Crue, Van Halen, Aerosmith and Def Leppard a little bit too. That's because although these bands weren't so tough, they were cool and cool was ok. But unfortunately for Europe they were neither tough nor cool, and were always considered as posers, never the real deal. Let's face it, how can a band who released that woeful 80's synthesizer/keyboard tripe "The Final Countdown" ever have any credibility, let alone have balls and be cool?

Thus, once the countdown had finally ended, so too had Europe, never to be heard of again, just a sour stinking blip in metal history. Or so I thought until a friend played me their 2009 album "Last Look At Eden". How dare he? But, curious to hear if they still had that same lame sound I gave it a bit of a listen. So I was somewhat surprised when the title track sounded a little bit... cool dare I say it? No, it couldn't be. I skipped to the next song - no powering riffs or Halford-esque screams here, same for the next track, then the next, then the next etc. So there I had it. No synthesizer/keyboard dominated candy floss tunes, but no ball tearing tough nuts either, and nothing that truly grabbed me so I quickly dismissed it.

But my mate wouldn't let up. He kept telling me how good this album was so I gave it some more spins. And guess what? Now I like it. A lot! No big hooks, screaming vocals or power riffs, but I still like it. Why? It's cool. Yes that's right, I never thought I'd see the day but here it is. Europe are cool. What this album does have is great melody, more toughness and a harder edge than I've ever heard from Europe, lots of groove, and a real bluesy swagger. Being a fan of blues music I really dig this retro bluesy rock stuff which Europe have somehow managed to sound fresh at the same time, and thus we have a great bunch of songs on what I believe is one of the most consistent albums of the year. In fact it's not until tracks 10 and 11 "U Devil U" and "Run With The Angels" that we get a couple of songs that might (I stress might) be considered fillers. Not too bad themselves, but I don't think they are as good as the rest of the album.

As for the rest of the songs we get plenty of bluesy swagger on "Gonna Get Ready", "Catch That Plane", "Mojito Girl", "You Only Live Twice" and the album closer "In My Time" is just a cool, pure blues rock ballad much in the vein of Dave Meniketti's (Y&T) solo blues album and I love it. Many have tried this type of song but here Europe convincingly conveys the feel and emotion of the blues. Then there's more hard rocking "The Beast" , "No Stone Unturned" (here we get some prominent synthesizer in the middle of the song but it actually fits quite well and isn't overpowering), and the title track with it's movie theme-esque sound. Three more great songs and then when you include the power ballad "New Love In Town" which is every bit as good as anything Bon Jovi has ever done, it's actually very difficult to pick out album high lights.

Production is good, John Norum's guitar work is not flashy at all, but he rocks out some very well done, quality stuff here and Joey Tempest has a real smooth, cool sounding voice these days. Thankfully there are none of the higher girly vocals a-la "The Final Countdown". So whilst I was very reluctant to even consider that this album could ever have sounded good at all, it has proved to be a real grower on me. So much so that it's now the first and only album from Europe that I've ever bought! Try as I may have, I just could not dismiss it as worthless rubbish. Indeed it is far from it, and I've actually found I play it more than any other release I got from 2009. (What is it with this cover though???)

This album is a killer and I can't understand why more people don't know about it. Grab a copy and play it loud. The title track is just haunting. "Catch that Plane" is a fun tune. "The Beast" "U Devil U" and "Run with the Angels" are tough tunes if you like the harder Europe. "New Love in Town" is an awesome power ballad, but stripped down without the 80s glam. Tempest's voice is naturally not as high as it was in his younger days, but I happen to think that maturity is a good thing for their music. My favorite track is the bluesy ballad "In My Time" which captures Europe at their best and includes a two minute closing lead solo by John Norum.

I was very critical of the "new" european sound when I listened to Start from the Dark. It got better with time, but now I don't listen to it very much with the exception of two or three tracks. I didn't like Secret Society, it's got some good tunes, but the title track produced some bad impression over me and I could never get over it.

But this album is different, it's got a lot of power! I was very surprised to hear what I thought was a "symphonic" Europe, but then I learned it was just keyboards. It's alright. But anyway, I have been listening to tracks 1-6 everyday for the last three months!! And Joey's lyrics kick some major ass! "Now catch that plane and get your ass... your pretty ass... over here!" Hahahahaha that is so cool!

This album fills me up of energy in the mornings when I go to work. Totally recommended for fans and not fans.

I started listening to the band in the 80s, since The Final Countdown. Did not care much for the glam look and the extremely keyboard-heavy songs. Since Start from the Dark a couple of years back, they started going in a heavier darker music style and it fits them like a glove. This one hooks you up since the first song, which is the title track and video.
If you're a fan (and even non-fans) you should give it a listen.

My favorite EUROPE discs are The Final Countdown, Out ot This World, and Prisoners of Paradise. Since Start From The Dark I have missed the melodic EUROPE. This disc is a very good disc. It has cool songs and fantastic playing. It just doesn't sound as fun as they used to. If you want a good rockin disc then you will love this disc. If you are looking for the 80s EUROPE then you might be disappointed. This is a good cd. I just miss the party EUROPE. The 2 live tracks were cool also.

This is the best one since Final Countdown. I just got it and it really has a classic rock feel taking you back to the 70's and early eighties with a new twist kinda like the keyboard player puts it on their web site "THE 70'S MEETS THE NEW MILLENNIUM - ON 'SHROOMS...
I really like this one.

Last look at eden is not their best but it is very good .It has a more bluesy sound to it ,darker it reminds be off deep purle on certain songs ,expescially the beast ,last look at eden ,gonna get ready,and they are the standouts on this cd.But other songs rock to ,it is well written and playes but like i said with a deep purple fell to it .buy it you wont be dissapointed.I hope this review was helpfull to you

(As of this date I'm waiting to receive the Cd, but I've purchased the MP3s from the band's official website).

In my opinion this is Europe's best album EVER. Yes, better than "The Final Countdown" (by far) and without question the best album since their comeback in 2004. "Start from the dark" (2004) and "Secret society" (2006) were both solid albums, but "Last Look At Eden" is trully the album most fans have been longing for, as it contains all the elements loved by this band. Heavy. Bluesy. Majestic. Full of big hooks and melodies that will grow on you and stick with you forever.

This album has a stronger focus on melody than the last two albums. Songs like "last look at eden" and "no stone unturned" have a strong majestic vibe that we haven't seen since the "Out of this World" era. In fact, "last look at eden" could be considered the modern day equivalent of "superstitious". Songs like "gonna get ready", "the beast" and "mojito girl" are fun rockers that will have you hooked immediately and will not let go of you! They will go down great LIVE!! There's also some really good bluesy stuff, like "in my time" and "catch that plane". Then there's the brilliant ballad "new love in town". A great sentimental tune.

I get the feeling that touring in 2008 with Deep Purple and Whitesnake rubbed off on Europe a bit. "Last Look At Eden" is a masterful fusion of classic 70's rock and modern rock. Brilliantly crafted songs from start to finish. There's no filler on this album. Europe are proving to be a force to be reckoned with in the 21st century and shattering that "80's hair band" image. This album deserves much attention and even the hardest critic has to give the band it's due. Not only is this the best album Europe ever made, it's one of the very best albums of this decade, from any rock band! If you're skeptical of that claim, get this album and be enlightened and entertained. You won't be disappointed!