This is my first submission for what I hope are many more metal-related contributions to this blog. I’m sure many of you can relate to music obsession. Metal has always been mine. About eight years ago, I decided to go all the way back to the mid-Sixties and really trace the evolution that led me to the bands I loved when I was 12: Slayer, Megadeth, Napalm Death, even LA Guns, Kix, etc. I never had a filter for metal. I love it all, cheesy or not. Sweden has always done metal incredibly well. They took the British lineage (Lizzy, Priest, Sabbath, etc.) and added a touch of majesty, frost and a heady dose of classical influence. The new wave of British Heavy Metal became a global phenomenon, to varying degrees. Without further ado, I give you an old Europe song. To think this is the same band that would later write “The Final Countdown” … wow. But hey, many bands embraced various forms of commercial accessibility. Europe basically mirrored Def Leppard’s evolution. This track is from their first album, and it’s a gem: twin leads, ferocious drive, awesome vocals. And they were 17!

Audio – Europe – Farewell

Post by Laurent Lebec of Pelican