- Apr 5, 2003
- 2,668
- 2
- 38
Europe - Secret Society
Sanctuary Records - 02182-34113-2 - 2006
By Brandon Strader
Europe is back again (with their original lineup, even!) with a smoother, more modern sound, and songs that are extremely catchy. Most people probably associate Europe with their smash hit, "The Final Countdown". It's been a very long time since then, and the new songs are really not epic in that kind of sense; a lot of the vibes flowing around Secret Society are those of a more straightforward type of rock 'n' roll and some harder rock. The album starts off very strong with the title track which features a heavy rocking verse, and a lot of catchy vocal lines especially in the chorus. There are also impressive bluesy solos, and a fast square wave solo with a lot of arpeggios that was very unexpected upon the first listen. All of the performances are great, and all the elements of the music really comes together to make a very enjoyable album! The fact that Europe is releasing such cool stuff after so many decades and all of the albums they have released is a pleasant surprise.
"Always The Pretenders" starts up with a fantastic acoustic guitar lead performance, with a second harmony performance soon entering in the right channel briefly before the heavy guitars come back in and begin rocking out again! The verse is very catchy, and is really shown up by the chorus too, making this possibly the catchiest song on the album. It's got a very positive, major-chord type sound throughout the song that gives it that extra bit of attraction. Listening to these new songs is like hearing a completely different band from the earlier Europe; the performances sound full of energy and youthful, especially with the vocalist. He's got a great rock voice, and a light but fast vibrato. The songwriting is great; though it is completely different than "The Final Countdown" and the like, of course. There are a lot of very memorable songs here and the production is very clear, and packs plenty of punch. Long songs are not present, as each song has a range between 4 to 5 minutes, and the songwriting does contain mainly transitions between verse and chorus and a possible solo section. The focus seems to be more on writing fun songs that are very enjoyable, and the fellows really deliver in that department!
Some of the most addictive vocal melodies that you may often find yourself singing along with are on "Wish I Could Believe", which is a very moody tune about - you guessed it - religion. It also features a blues solo near the end that is so great, it sent shivers down my spine! The song will have you singing 'I wish I could believe in God!' for hours on end... just be careful where you sing that line! Although there are a lot of catchy hooks and extremely memorable parts (like every single chorus on the album), a lot of the verses - especially as you progress later on into the album - begin to sound more and more similar. It seems like they used a certain formula for the verses, and some of them even end up sounding like filler, like the verse on "Human After All" and others. In the end, however, it's an impressive album with glorious rock 'n' roll and blues solos, great hooks, and good replay value!
8.5/10
UM's Review Rating Scale
Official Europe Website
Official Sanctuary Records Website
Sanctuary Records - 02182-34113-2 - 2006
By Brandon Strader
Europe is back again (with their original lineup, even!) with a smoother, more modern sound, and songs that are extremely catchy. Most people probably associate Europe with their smash hit, "The Final Countdown". It's been a very long time since then, and the new songs are really not epic in that kind of sense; a lot of the vibes flowing around Secret Society are those of a more straightforward type of rock 'n' roll and some harder rock. The album starts off very strong with the title track which features a heavy rocking verse, and a lot of catchy vocal lines especially in the chorus. There are also impressive bluesy solos, and a fast square wave solo with a lot of arpeggios that was very unexpected upon the first listen. All of the performances are great, and all the elements of the music really comes together to make a very enjoyable album! The fact that Europe is releasing such cool stuff after so many decades and all of the albums they have released is a pleasant surprise.
"Always The Pretenders" starts up with a fantastic acoustic guitar lead performance, with a second harmony performance soon entering in the right channel briefly before the heavy guitars come back in and begin rocking out again! The verse is very catchy, and is really shown up by the chorus too, making this possibly the catchiest song on the album. It's got a very positive, major-chord type sound throughout the song that gives it that extra bit of attraction. Listening to these new songs is like hearing a completely different band from the earlier Europe; the performances sound full of energy and youthful, especially with the vocalist. He's got a great rock voice, and a light but fast vibrato. The songwriting is great; though it is completely different than "The Final Countdown" and the like, of course. There are a lot of very memorable songs here and the production is very clear, and packs plenty of punch. Long songs are not present, as each song has a range between 4 to 5 minutes, and the songwriting does contain mainly transitions between verse and chorus and a possible solo section. The focus seems to be more on writing fun songs that are very enjoyable, and the fellows really deliver in that department!
Some of the most addictive vocal melodies that you may often find yourself singing along with are on "Wish I Could Believe", which is a very moody tune about - you guessed it - religion. It also features a blues solo near the end that is so great, it sent shivers down my spine! The song will have you singing 'I wish I could believe in God!' for hours on end... just be careful where you sing that line! Although there are a lot of catchy hooks and extremely memorable parts (like every single chorus on the album), a lot of the verses - especially as you progress later on into the album - begin to sound more and more similar. It seems like they used a certain formula for the verses, and some of them even end up sounding like filler, like the verse on "Human After All" and others. In the end, however, it's an impressive album with glorious rock 'n' roll and blues solos, great hooks, and good replay value!
8.5/10
UM's Review Rating Scale
Official Europe Website
Official Sanctuary Records Website
