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Europe is a hard rock/heavy metal band that formed in Stockholm, Sweden, in the early 1980s. The band was originally known as Force, and consisted of Peter Olsson on bass, John Norum on guitar, Tony Reno on drums, and Joey Tempest on lead vocals/guitar. Olsson left the band early on, and new bassist John Leven was recruited. The group sent a demo tape to a contest in Stockholm, to see if they could land a record deal. They did, and signed to a small Swedish label, Hot Records, and changed their name to Europe.
Their self-titled first album, Europe, was released in 1983. It had a heavy metal sound, which generated the hit "Seven Doors Hotel" in Japan, but was virtually unknown everywhere else.
Their second album, Wings Of Tomorrow (1984), had the same metal edge, but sold better. Drummer Tony Reno left the band and was replaced by Ian Haugland, and keyboardist Mic Michaeli was added to the band's lineup. Highlights from the second album included "Stormwind" and the ballad "Dreamer".
It was Europe's third album, The Final Countdown (1986), that was their best-selling album to date, and helped them gain attention in the American music market. Some of the many hits from the album included the famous keyboard-driven title track, "Rock The Night" and "Carrie". But at the same time, the album changed Europe from a heavy metal band to a commercial pop metal act. Guitarist Norum left the band at this time to pursue a solo career, and guitarist Kee Marcello was chosen as the replacement.
Out Of This World (1988) was only a modest followup to "The Final Countdown", but still sold well. Hits included "Superstitious", "Let The Good Times Rock" and a remake of the song "Open Your Heart", which originally appeared on "Wings Of Tomorrow".
By the time Prisoners In Paradise (1991) was released, the music scene had started to go alternative, and Europe disbanded shortly afterwards. A greatest hits compilation, 1982-1992 (1993), was released, with a few unreleased tracks, including the song "Yesterday's News". Singer Joey Tempest embarked on a solo career, releasing two albums in the 1990s.
The first signs of a Europe reunion took place on New Year's Eve, 1999, when the band performed their signature song, "The Final Countdown", to ring in the year 2000 in Stockholm. The song was remixed and released as a single, "The Final Countdown 2000", but the band did not officially reunite at that time. Tempest released a third solo album in 2002, while former guitarist Norum played with the band Dokken.
Finally, in 2004, Europe reunited with the original classic lineup of the "Countdown" era. Their sixth studio album, Start From The Dark, showed the band returning to their pre-Countdown heavy metal sound, with John Norum's guitar as the driving force on the album. Hit singles included "Got To Have Faith" and the title track. Though he didn't participate in the recording studio, guitarist Kee Marcello was to join Europe on the tour to support the "Start From The Dark" album.
Europe is currently working on a DVD titled "Live From The Dark", which will feature highlights of their reunion tour. Guitarist Norum also released another solo album in 2005, but remains committed to the band. Europe is back, and big things are expected of the band in the future to come.