Europe

Inspired by the music of Thin Lizzy , UFO , Led Zeppelin or Deep Purple , the Swedish Joey Tempest (sing), John Norum (guitar), John Leven (bass) and Tony Reno (battery) formed their own Hard Rock Force band in 1979 and changed their name to Europe when they won a contract in the early 1980s. They released an eponymous debut album in 1983 and Wings Of Tomorrow the following year, both quite close to Heavy Metal, before signing with CBS-EMI/Sony for international releases. drummer Tony Reno left the band in 1985, replaced by Ian Haugland, while keyboardist Mic Michaeli was recruited. The Final Countdown was released in 1986, with a more Hard FM orientation; The single of the same name is a real global phenomenon. John Norum, not satisfied with Europe's musical orientation, left the ship during the tour. Kee Marcello (ex-Easy Action) then gets the guitar back. This line-up recorded two other albums, generally less well received, before the band announced a hiatus in 1992. It will take more than ten years to see a reformation and the return of guitarist John Norum. An officer in sextet is then envisaged, but Marcello prefers to devote himself to his own projects, and it is therefore the "classic" group of 1986 that recorded Start From The Dark in 2004, considered a new beginning. The band, now stable, has since released five other studio albums, the latest of which, Walk The Earth , was released in late 2017.
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