EUROPE TO RELEASE SECRET SOCIETY
VIA SANCTUARY RECORDS ON NOVEMBER 7TH, 2006
COVER ART CREATED BY LEGENDARY ARTIST STORM THORGERSON
Few songs in the history of hard rock can whip up a concert frenzy like "The Final Countdown." And Europe, the composers of that anthemic classic, are back for more with a brand new album, Secret Society, out November 7th, via Sanctuary Records.
With their original lineup - singer Joey Tempest, guitarist John Norum, bassist John Leven, keyboardist Mic Michaeli, and drummer Ian Haugland - back in place, Europe reunited in the early 21st century, before issuing their first studio album in thirteen years, Start from the Dark, in 2004.
As evidenced by such standout tracks as the Led Zeppelin-esque album opening title track and the lead-off single, "Always the Pretenders," Secret Society is undeniably edgier than previous releases. Says Joey Tempest "It feels like we have finally arrived. Together we have written some of our best lyrics and songs. We can't wait to play the material live".
The reunion has proven to not be a mere one-off, as the group opted to entirely self-produce Secret Society themselves, while the album was mixed by Stefan Glaumann (Rammstein, Within Temptation) and mastered by George Marino (Velvet Revolver, U2).
Also featured is the unmistakable album cover art of Storm Thorgerson. As a member of the design studio Hipgnosis, Storm worked on all the classic album covers by PINK FLOYD, LED ZEPPELIN and PETER GABRIEL, to name just a few. Guitarist John Norum reminisces: "Growing up, my favorite covers were done by this guy. "
Storm has recently created the CD artwork for not only Europe but bands such as THE MARS VOLTA and MUSE. You can view the cover art for Secret Society by pasting the following URL in your web browser.
http://www.europetheband.com/discography/album/SSbig.jpg
Europe has also committed to giving the album a major push via worldwide touring. Promises Norum, "We will tour Scandinavia before Christmas and the rest of Europe in the beginning of the New Year. After that, we are aiming to do some dates in the U.K. US and Asia and play the summer festivals all over Europe next summer."
http://www.europetheband.com
http://www.sanctuaryrecords.com