Style: alt-rock, hard rock
Label: Sanctuary Records
Year: 2004
Home: Sweden
Members: Joey Tempest ~ vocals/acoustic guitars
John Norum ~ guitars
John Leven ~ bass
Mic Michaeli ~ keyboards
Ian Haugland ~ drums
This is the third Europe album I've heard & the second post-80's release. The newer albums are such different beasts. I'd previously written about my disappointment with their classic The Final Countdown, as beyond the title track it let me down feeling like a lot of filler. 2009's Last Look At Eden was a million times better, but lacked a distinct personality I could grab on to. It had all the pieces, but I've heard the same album come from Michael Sweet & Stryper. I continuously kept thinking of other bands who they sounded like. Now I turn to 2004's Start From The Dark out of curiosity. At this point, I have no real clue what the Europe sound is & who they are musically, but if this like Last Look At Eden - & I hope it is, being in the same decade - then it will have some great singing, much better lyrics than many bands, be awesome melodic rock, have wonderfully crafted music & great guitar riffing. I just hope it has more personality. So, I'm very curious going into Start From The Dark, which was their comeback album after over a decade away. First, this is not the boys of Stryper. Last Look At Eden was a big layered affair that clobbered you fast & easily with powerful riffs. Start From The Dark is not just nothing like Stryper musically, yet its also not like Last Look At Eden. Is this the same band? Its hard to tell. This is a very streamlined affair that is so much more raw than heavily produced like Last Look At Eden, or, more properly, its well produced but doesn't sound too glossy like the other album. That album rocked your face off, but this is the far more emotional affair due to more focus being put on the lyrics & less on the riffs. This album is not about hooks, but the words. This album has a strong mood, whereas the other one didn't. I'm not going to say its alt-rock, but it has a lot of that flavor. Given the year it was released, I might not be so far from the truth of what they were going after. I might compare this to later day Bon Jovi, as in the more mature Bon Jovi. A better comparison is the first Danger Danger album with Paul Laine singing, Dawn. That was their deliberately grunge album in an attempt to match trends. Soundgarden might also be referenced in some of the down tuned guitar parts (i.e. "Song No. 12") here. This is the most musically diverse album I've heard yet from them. Truth be told, they sound like three completely different bands. So, Europe essentially fails when it comes to finding their own personality, but are monster musicians. These two later day albums are well worth listening to, I just wish I knew what I might get in a fourth album or be able to name something distinctive about their sound. That being said, this is the more distinct album of the three. As it straddles different styles of music it creates its own thing, whereas the others feel more by the book & imitative. This is a band trying to be like something they are not, but after a decade what are they, so it comes off unique. It's alt-rock tinged melodic rock. This has so much more feeling than the other albums do. Honestly, "The Final Countdown" is just a throwaway anthem hit. There's none of that here, as every song has something to say. It has a lot to say, actually, which at times emotionally drags the album down. This is not a happy listen, while songs tend to blend together due to them all being emotionally heavy. I said this was not like Michael Sweet, yet I have to reverse that a bit. "Reason" questions god about the meaning of life. "Cause there must be a reason / Why you're keeping me alive / On broken days like this / There must be a reason / A hope that God exist". It even references heaven, though not by name, saying: "After all the fear is gone / There's place where everybody goes." "Hero" might not be about Jesus, but one might interpret it that way with such lyrics as: "'Cause you are my hero / My friday night / You wrote the soundtrack to my life / & gave me something / To hold on to / When I was growing up / You were the rock / In my life." While other songs have a spiritual message, though not overtly Christian. This could be a Stryper album in disguise. The entire album is about working through life, such as "The race is on / I found my way / Something has changed since I've been away" in "Got To Have Faith" & "Tonight, this is where we go / To find out who we really are / We've got nothing left to lose / Tonight, this is how we breathe / To put some strength back in our hearts" in the title track. The album is laced with burdens & conquering them with a helping hand. Its depressing, but also hopeful. As "Roll With You" sings: "When what you're feeling is too intense / When the darkness seems to draw you in I roll with you / When you're so sorry & don't know why / It came to be a sad time in your life I roll with you we'll get you through." Yet, even with such hope, this is a heavy album to listen to. Recommended to Christian rock lovers.
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