Europe (SE)

About

Also known as: EUROPE

Few riffs have burned themselves into rock history the way that keyboard line from 'The Final Countdown' has. Sweden's Europe built their 1986 album of the same name into a genuine global phenomenon, hitting number one in 25 countries and going Triple Platinum in the US. The band formed in Upplands Väsby back in 1979, won Sweden's Rock SM championship competing against 4000 bands, and eventually landed a deal with Epic Records that changed everything. Along with the title track peaking at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, the power ballad 'Carrie' climbed to number 3, cementing Europe as one of the defining acts of arena rock. After a split in 1992 and a reunion that became official in 2003, the band never really stopped. They pushed further into heavier territory across six post reunion albums, with Walk the Earth arriving in 2017 and showing they still had real bite. More recently, the band has kept releasing new material, including 'One on One' and 'The Cult of Ignorance', suggesting the current lineup of Joey Tempest, John Norum, John Levén, Mic Michaeli, and Ian Haugland is in no mood to coast.