Start From The Dark Europe Friday Music, 2005   Buy it online Reviewed by Lucas Aykroyd	If you're a 1980s band that decides to reunite, how do you thwart suggestions that you're simply doing it for the cash? Probably the best way is to start by recording a killer comeback album. With the June 7th North American release of Start From The Dark, Europe has done just that. Fans wouldn't have gotten as excited about the recent Duran Duran and Judas Priest reunions if those bands had failed to reconstitute their definitive lineups and the accompanying songwriting chemistry. Similarly, getting to hear singer Joey Tempest and guitarist John Norum creating music together again is what makes Start From The Dark special. Norum quit Europe in 1986 due to musical differences after recording The Final Countdown, which sold eight million copies thanks to the eponymous keyboard-driven single that still rocks hockey arenas today. Even though the two Swedes stayed in touch, musically and personally, it just wasn't the same as a full-fledged reunion of the Stockholm-based hard rock quintet. Norum always wanted Europe to be a contemporary band with an edge, and he's gotten his wish on this 12-track, 48-minute triumph. His monstrous, down-tuned riffs drive "Spirit Of The Underdog" and "America" and they may surprise listeners who are expecting more of a traditional Europe sound, that is, a Bon Jovi sing-along flavor paired with echo-laden Queen/Def Leppard-style backing vocals. Tempest still has a magnificent tenor, but he mostly stays away from the 80s rock god mannerisms here, taking a meditative look at the human condition in "Reason" and paying tribute to Thin Lizzy's Phil Lynott in "Hero." His lyrics here are the best he's ever written. Bassist John Leven and drummer Ian Haugland are as solid and tight as ever and while keyboardist Mic Michaeli gets less of the spotlight than in the past, he adds sparkling touches to the bridge of "Reason" and creates an aura of anticipation in "Flames." Dramatic numbers like the title track and "Wake Up Call" possess an uplifting, inspirational feel and they really work as songs, whether you fell in love with Europe's five previous albums or not. Oddly, the choice for the lead single, "Got To Have Faith," is one of the more pedestrian rockers on the album. Europe has already toured its home continent, Japan and the USA in support of Start From The Dark. With this disc, they will undoubtedly solidify their status as the fourth-biggest selling Swedish group of all time behind ABBA, Roxette and Ace of Base. | June 2005   Lucas Aykroyd has written for such magazines as Rock Sound, Metal Hammer, Powerplay Rock and Metal Magazine, and Classic Rock. He is the author of 1984: The Ultimate Van Halen Trivia Book.