I can’t honestly say I was a huge Europe fan back then, but the Final Countdown was one of those songs that succeeded in being both catchy and heavy and it helped to introduce thousands of youngsters to the joys of rock by perching on top of the charts for what seemed like an eternity.

To this day I have enjoyed that song in clubs, puns and on radio but I hadn’t given too much thought to the band that spawned it until the new album ‘Last look at Eden’ landed on my desk. Curious, I played the disc and was instantly blown away by the depth of sound and the sheer catchiness of the songs on offer – it is, as Joey frequently points out, a classic rock album. I won’t go into detail here, that’s for the review which will be posted next week in the run up to the album’s release (September 14th) but instead I’d like to introduce an interview with lead singer Joey Tempest which I was very proud to be able to conduct last week. A charming and thoughtful gentleman, Joey was an incredibly gracious host who took time to answer every question and provide us with a lot of detail. With the new album receiving almost universal acclaim, and a string of rock solid performances behind them (not least a headline slot at this year’s Bloodstock) it seems that Europe may well be destined to outstrip their previous successes on the back of an album that is genuinely exciting and emotionally honest.

BD: Hello?

JT: Hello this is Joey here.

BD: Firstly I’d just like to say I saw you at Bloodstock, at the weekend, I thought that was a fantastic performance, we really enjoyed it.

JT: Oh, thank you, we didn’t know what to expect and we were quite pleased afterwards and it could open some doors for us maybe, ripples on the water, you know, maybe some other festivals in the future, so we were quite pleased.

BD: Yeah, actually one of my questions is about that, I think when your band was first announced as being on the line-up for Bloodstock, there was some sort of reaction from the fans, that it was perhaps a little controversial, were you nervous before you took the stage?

JT: Not more than normal, we thought that it was an important gig for us because we knew that there were a lot of magazines and a lot of fans that see a lot of heavy metal and hard rock… they know about music so playing in England is always special for us, but yeah it was more of a special gig for us. We’d done a similar one in France about a month earlier called Hellfest, it was also an extreme metal festival and they welcomed us quite warmly there as well, so we had sort of that one to lean against a little bit and we just went out to do our best. We also saw the reactions beforehand – it was quite funny to read when they announced the headliner, some people hated the idea, some people loved it, but that only makes for a more exciting gig I think and, well, luckily enough it went well and we are very pleased.

BD: I think you had a fantastic reaction from the crowd.

Ok, could you tell me about the new album a little bit, I think it’s a very contemporary sounding record. What influences you now?

JT: Yeah, I mean John Norum influences me as a guitar player, and he still comes to me and writes a riff, writes songs, and that’s how we started when we met at fourteen / fifteen and we started the band when we were sixteen and seventeen but I think the friendship keeps it going a bit. ‘Last look at Eden’ was done very spontaneously as well, we started writing on the road, the ‘secret society’ tour, and between gigs and festivals last summer, we started to come up with licks and we were inspired by other shows. We played festivals with bands like Robert Plant and Chris Cornell, ZZ top and Whitesnake and loads of other bands and festivals and it really inspired us to do more of an organic, more straight forward classic rock album. Obviously, like you say, we keep it modern sounding. We work with young people, that know about sound and this guy, Tobias, he’s really, really good, I mean he recorded us on an old desk, he mixed on a modern desk and it made it really punchy and still warm as a classic rock album, so it’s a modern classic rock album I suppose.

BD: Yeah, it’s quite heavy as well I think.

JT: Yeah, yeah, that’s how we sound when we rehearse, I mean we don’t pull any punches there. There are certain albums that have sounded different in our career I suppose, Final Countdown was more mixed for American radio, you can hear that the guitars are a bit lower and the keyboards are a bit higher; that was a period where things were mixed a bit differently, it managed to reach a bigger audience by having a broader sound like that, but in general Europe albums are heavier, they are more guitar based.

BD: Your lyrics, to me, appear to be very full of hope and optimistic, which is something that seems to keep a lot of people coming back to you, is that an accurate depiction do you think?

JT: I think so, there are some stories behind some songs and I decided with this album not to talk too much about stories, but in general I think it helps, you know, you write songs, you play it with the band, it’s kind of nice to have a positive vibe around it, or at least have an outcome that’s positive because you’re going to sing it and play it a lot you don’t want to be standing there on the hundredth gig of the tour thinking about the sad lyric you’ve written, but I don’t know, we’re having more fun this time with lyrics; I’m having more fun – I’ve lived outside of Sweden for twenty years, I’m married to an English girl in London and I’ve been around the world, lived in various places and I think, finally, that I’m getting a handle on the English language and maybe I can inject some humour and irony as well because if you’re Swedish and you grow up there, what you hear is American rock and English rock, and you pick up on the lyrics, and you do your best because it’s not your first language but you sort of fall into clichés a little bit, but we’ve worked ourselves out of that, and we still have punchy ideas but to make a long story short, yeah positive lyrics, sometimes there might be another story behind it, but, at least ‘last look at Eden’ turned out positive; it was written (as) more of a question, the week before the election in America last November and that was more of a question of the world’s state and a last look at civilisation was the original idea, ‘Last look at Eden’ came and then the election went well (in my opinion) so I suppose it turned out to be a positive rock song. ‘Going to get ready’ – the second track – is a typical, straight forward rock song… ‘New love in town’ that’s more of a personal thing because that’s derived form when I had my son almost three years ago now so that’s the new love in town, that’s my son. What else, I had a lot of fun on the lyrics for this one: ‘the beast’, ‘u devil u’, ‘catch that plane’ sort of tongue in cheek, a bit sexy, a bit kind of cool and for the first time we can handle that I think.

BD: You seem to be having a lot of fun on stage, you seem to be very enthusiastic for the performance and that really transmitted itself to the audience at Bloodstock and the enthusiasm coming from the stage was very much matched by the audience, how have you kept that level of enthusiasm over the years and the shows?

JT: Yeah, we’re still in a good place, we’ve toured a lot since we started again in 2004 and we’ve done hundreds of gigs and stuff, but I don’t know, recording this album has revived the feelings I think, and also playing at Bloodstock was a kick itself. There’re some shows where you have to think “ok I’ve got to get myself going here” but we didn’t have to do that at Bloodstock, it was genuine adrenalin. We like what we do and we want to do a good job and we’ve always been like that so I suppose that’s the driving force.

BD: You’ve maintained popularity for many, many years, a lot of people have followed you since the beginning and kind of stayed with you, and when you reformed there was a great reaction from your fans. What do you think the reason for your longevity is?

JT: It’s probably the passion for getting better at our instruments and getting better at writing original songs. We’re that kind of band that before a show we really try to get into it, and after a show we always sit for half an hour discussing a show, we’re that kind of band; we discuss who did what and if there were mistakes and how to make it better and there’s something about this band and everybody in the band wants to do 100%. If it’s the studio calling, or if it’s a live show or a tour, everybody comes without a question, it’s that kind of thing and I don’t know; it’s a love for song-writing as well, trying to get better, it’s difficult to put a finger on it, I suppose we count ourselves lucky as well to have this job and we want to stay in it.

BD: You have a very distinctive voice, and instantly people will say “yeah! that’s Europe” so how do you keep your voice in shape?

JT: That’s a good question, I just sing really, I always have. There was only one period, really, when I had a voice coach – I started to lose my voice but I was a bit younger then so I suppose if I have trouble, if I get a cold or lose my voice or play too many gigs I can revert to those exercises, but normally I just go for it. We’re going out on the ‘Last look at Eden’ world tour and the first leg is in Germany for three weeks and I’ll do many, many shows in a row and then the real test comes but it usually works out , I’ve been (touch wood) lucky before, but no special things really. Well, don’t drink before a show and perhaps after, would be a good rule if you’re a singer, other than that just go for it.

BD: Your new album seems to be really strong, in your opinion, what does Europe have to offer the world now?

JT: Well, it’s just one of those spontaneous albums, ‘last look at Eden’, we didn’t analyse it too much, we didn’t over produce it, we just went for it and used all our experience and had fun and I suppose it just happened to become a really good Europe album, one of our best we think, and we didn’t know that, we just tried to do the best we could. I think we can also offer people, if they’re into classic rock / hard rock with a modern sound, you know we carry the torch, we started listening to Led Zeppelin and Deep purple when we were very, very young and we moved into British rock, UFO, Thin Lizzy, MSG maybe and early Whitesnake, I think we carry that torch, I think we carry that heritage a little bit and I don’t know how many bands do that. There are a few that we like, for example: Audioslave, but they aren’t going now, but even though they came from a grunge band or whatever you call them, they were 90s bands, they still had one foot in the classic rock world and there are still bands around there, but Europe is definitely one that has a modern sound and keep that heritage.

BD: So constant re-invention is part of your success?

JT: Yeah, I think that to keep reinventing, to get better as you are is important. And to try hard to get the sound right – you need to know, bands need to know that you’ve got to be up there with the sound, you’ve got to pick the right people to work with, you’ve got to make sure that the production’s not too wet / too old fashioned – you have to have the right mix between guitars and keyboards; so many things that you learn over the years and that you need to know because you can actually write a good album but it can be bought down by a bad production and so we try our best.

BD: Did it take a long time to record this album? You’ve said it was very spontaneous and a lot of it came together quite well but how long were you in the studio to do this?

JT: Three months. It always takes about three months for us in the studio and that’s including everything really: rehearsal, recording, mixing and maybe mastering to, but usually we do mastering in New York just a few days after, but yeah about three months and then about six months to write I think.

BD: You said you were going on a world tour for ‘Last look at Eden’ can we expect you in England anytime soon?

JT: Yeah, we’re doing Germany in November and then, hopefully, the Scandinavian dates in December and then the European dates in January and February and the UK will be in February; we’ll do quite a few gigs, I don’t know how many, but seven or eight, something like that in the UK.

BD: You stated recently, that you needed to make the previous two albums to make this one, it sounds like they were stepping stones to this album – could you elaborate a little bit?

JT: Yeah, I think, ‘Start from the dark’ was a sort of debut album – we just wanted to get back out there ‘Secret society’ we did analyse the situation a bit and we wanted to make a cutting edge modern rock album and we did try to as well, with the sound and everything, but this one was more effortless, more organic and in that sense it could be more of an honest album, with honest influences. We didn’t over-think it at all, so in that sense it’s more of a real Europe album, [pause] obviously every album is a real Europe album, but this one is more honest in that sense I think.

BD: So this one’s perhaps a bit more special?

JT: Yeah it’s definitely the most special of the three, so far.

BD: Would you say you’re all still friends in the band, after all this time together?

JT: Yes, it’s working well. I think the break did us good – John Norum’s back in the band; we started the band when we were very young. It’s a good feeling, we help each other with the music, we help each other with private matters, it’s good when you’ve known each other since when you were teenagers – it’s not like having new members or people you have to get used to, so in that sense it’s good.

BD: One last question: What are your hopes and plans for the future? Can we expect another Europe record after this cycle of touring?

JT: Yeah we will keep going, there’s a great buzz, like I said, around this album, especially in the UK which means a lot to us, Metal Hammer and Classic Rock magazine want to do things with us – we didn’t have that sort of reaction and we haven’t done many interviews in a long time so this has helped us look to the future again and start planning, but we always plan two years ahead so now we have touring 2009/2010 and then 2011 we’re talking about doing a new album so that’s how we see it.

BigDistraction would like to thank Will Taylor and Peter Noble for setting up this interview and, of course, Joey Tempest for taking the trouble to speak to us.

For more information on Europe visit there official site at: http://www.europetheband.com/

Photo Credit: © 2009 Christie Goodwin

There are 5 different tower types in total and each of them can be upgraded several times, increasing their destructive force. The 3 attack towers are a Blaster (gun), Laser and Missile, there is a Stun tower that slows the Creeps down and finally, the Vortex, which you can link to other towers to power them up further.

The levels start off nice and simple, getting you into the flow of the game, then they start to get harder and harder.
The developer, David Whatley, likens the game to Chess, stating;

“There is your opening moves, which are setting the stage for how you will win the level. The middle game is where you do your busy work of getting built-up for the final push at the end. The end game is where it gets completely crazy! If you didn’t have a strategy up until this point, no amount of fast fingers will save you.” – Follow link at bottom.

He is of course, completely correct, if you don’t plan from the start, you can’t work fast to keep up in the end. He then throws in a few nasty “Creeps” long the way, laughing at you as your well thought out plan goes horribly wrong when your towers you have placed and speedily upgraded become totally useless! You hear your brain going, “What the hell is this, and why can’t I…damn, right, restart and plan again!”

You must take a look at this game if you have an iPhone or an iPod Touch, download the Lite version, have a play, then when you can’t stop playing it, show your respect to Mr David Whatley (and Emma) and purchase the full version. It is currently priced at £1.19 (03/09/2009) and is well worth every, single, penny!

Game information can be found at Critical Thought Games (http://www.criticalthoughtgames.com), as well as videos and more screen-shots.

We are looking forward to new levels, towers and unfortunately, Creeps! (Please hurry David!)

With the caped crusader in his rightful spot and all the reviews putting this game above all other, we asked ourselfs, is it really that good?

The game starts with you taking the Joker to Arkham Asylum, once he’s there, you have control through the first long cinematic. But as with everything that the Joker is involved in, it goes wrong for Batman and the Joker, along with other familier faces, takes control of Arkham Asylum.

Your thrown straight into the action as the Joker runs off, facing a few thugs to get you into the fighting action. You notice from this point that the graphic are, stunning, as you create a new floor with your foes! The next section gets you exploring the dark, slient and sneaking side to our friendly Bat, being able to swing and hide on objects high above the enemy, then swoop down the way that only Batman can.

At this point, you are also introduced to “Discover Mode”, which enables Batman to highlight the enemy and see secrect areas. I would say, this is the only flaw of the game. If you play the game in “Normal Mode”, the game area can be quite dark, and as Batman should be, but the “Discover Mode” allows you to see through walls, and makes the game to much easier, you then end up spending most of your time in this veiw, missing the beautiful visuals.

As you work your way through some of Batman’s well known rivals, there are some interest, very well planned twists. For example, when facing the Scarecrow, the game transforms into a 3D, side scrolling platform game, that completely and seemlessly jumps between 3D fighter back to side scrolling.

The game feels very linier at first, but as you start opening up the areas, you are able to wander where-ever you like. You have to head to the way points to continue the story and unlock all your equipement, but this then enables you to get to new locations and areas that you could not get to previously. With the experience you gain, you are the able to get upgrades, to your fighting style, armour and equipment.

I can not tell you much more on this game, as it would be unfair. This is a fantastic game that ticks all the right boxes, the extra challenges give you the chance to play your favourite parts of the game over and over again. I can only pick two faults with this game, the first being the “Discover Mode” and the second being, there is no multi-play. I think teaming up with a friend (hopefully playing Robin!) would have made this game UNBEATABLE.

A must buy/play, you will be far from disappointed!

Graphics: 9
Game Play: 9
Controls: 9
Multiplayer: Soon maybe?
Overall: 9

We had to have a play to find out!

The opening sequence sets you up with a bit of a glimpse of what is ahead, with movie style animation your thrown right into the game. A meeting with a couple of top guys then sets you on your way. For you who have played the likes of Wolfenstein 3D, Spear of Destiny and even Doom, your thrown straight into the game and all you have to do is work your way through, killing everything you find! This new Wolfenstein is not quite that sort of game, you have to keep heading towards way points (fare enough!), but then you’re presented with a character that you have to then follow to another way point (who usually gets killed the moment you turn the first corner and your back to following your compass!).

The AI on the “good side” doesn’t seem to be all that, “intelligent”, the AI on the “enemy side”, is getting towards perfect. What I mean but this is, the AI will hide behind objects and take cover as soon as they realise you are there, they will make your life difficult. The only flaws I found with the AI are that, they shout at you every time they are about to fire, they can see you even though you’re in the shadows and have the attachment to your weapon so you can hide in the dark! They don’t seem to try and flank you either, if you wake/activate them and run through a door, even though there are 3 doors to the room, they will only come through the door you went in!

Once you’re into the game and taking in the beautiful surrounding, which there is limited time to do as you always seem to end up in fire fights, there comes the “Vail” to keep you company. The Vail gets it energy from the dark parallel universe, which you get a glimpse of every now and again, this gives you the chance to highlight the enemy and secrets, slow down time, produce a shield around yourself and even upgrade your fire power for s short period of time. Energy leaks into the current universe allowing you to power back up the Vail powers and glowing blue pods left around the place.

The first level takes place in a train yard and give you a fantastic effect with the physics engine running overtime, as the train explodes and sends everything spinning into the air as it reverses gravity, allowing you to fight as you float. This effect is not used heavily in the game, except in a couple of automated sequences, which is a really big shame, but the glowing blue pods and be picked up and thrown, sending the objects around the explosion into the air, fantastic for groups of enemy!

The weapons are well thought out, not too many of them, but as you go through the levels, collecting gold, you are able to purchase upgrades to all weapon and to your Vail powers at the market traders. Giving the extra firepower, scopes and the ability to “freeze” nearby enemies when activating your time slowing power.

They could have used the Vail to greater effect throughout the game as well as the physics engine, a game that springs to mind when talking about the Vail is Soul Reaver, where going between the realms allowed the surroundings and landscape to change. This could of had more of an effects for puzzles and secrets, but was sadly missed.

Trying to play the multiplayer side was, to say the least, horrendous! After about 10 minutes of trying to connect to game, I was about to give up. Then I managed to connect to a game and jump in with 4 other players. Slow paced and quite a lot of lag, did not make the experience enjoyable, may be this was down to the connection speeds of the other players, but I managed to play two games online and didn’t enjoy the experience at all. A real shame as I was looking forward to trying the Vail powers online, but I think I’ll stick to other games for that.

The overall impression of the game is that it is, ok(ish). I think from playing the older Wolfenstein games, I was expecting more from this, and it just doesn’t arrive. There are a few moments in the game that make you go “Now that’s cool!”, but they are few and far between. Most of the time you are just plodding through the game, doing what is required, only so you can get to the bosses to find out what they are like. Once you find their weakness, the rest is easy!

Due to the ending video (the one after the credits!), it looks like we are in for another instalment, hopefully this time, they will do something to stun us.

Graphics: 7
Game Play: 6
Controls: 6
Multiplayer: 4

Overall: 6