Surprisingly, my first hearing of the transcendental EUROPE was not through the eponymous "The Final Countdown", but through ARCH ENEMY's cover of "Scream Of Anger", and such my search began (as did my placing of the band name to the aforementioned anthem). Keeping roughly the same lineup for almost 29 years, 2015 would see the unleashing of "War of Kings", the band's 10th album and first under UDR Records. Whereas the past two albums were rather mellow in comparison, the new release has seen them come back heavier, more technical and, essentially, bigger. The Northern Kings of Hard Rock wage a war in the title track, opening the album. Cutting through with a heavy, driving, bass-driven riff, it promises to deliver the more Metallic vibes that the 'heavier' fans have been waiting to return since "Secret Society". As one could expect, the songwriting is spectacular; great thought obviously being put into choosing this piece as the album's first shot fired. I was once again blown away by Joey Tempest's indomitable vocal talent, showing no audible signs of aging. Similarly displayed in the feel-good "The Second Day", a mid-paced, AOR-like track that capitalises on its catchiness, the instrumentation lightly arranged to thicken the chorus and dissipate, adding breeze and flow to the verses; but then, if you would like to remind yourself of how EUROPE performs those killer, enormous, Euro-style choruses, this is the track to turn to.