Europe Album: “Wings of Tomorrow”

Europe's 1984 sophomore effort, "Wings of tomorrow" is one of the more underrated metal albums from the `80s and is considered the band's masterwork by many fans, including myself. It sold very well in Sweden and Japan, but it would be a couple more years before the band became well known to the rest of the world with their breakthrough song and album "The final countdown". This album showcases the band at the height of its heavy metal prowess before entering the pop metal world later on. The songs are definitely more suited for live performance than for Top 40 radio.

The album is solid from start to finish. There is great live energy, strong vocal performances by Joey Tempest and contains some of the most memorable shredding by John Norum. His guitar solos are nothing short of magnificent throughout this album, especially on "Wasted Time", "Lyin' Eyes", "Aphasia" and the title track. "Scream of anger" is another highlight. A fast and furious song that the band still plays live to this day. The ballads "Dreamer" and "Open your heart" are well done. It's a little known fact that "Open your heart" was the first Europe song to get airplay in the US, receiving limited exposure on some AOR stations. Four years later it was rerecorded for the "Out of this world" album (1988), but the second version didn't have quite the same magic as the original.

It's too bad "Wings of tomorrow" wasn't the album that first introduced Europe to the mainstream world. Had it been, I think the band would have had stronger rock credibility, and maybe could have built a stronger legacy. There's a saying: "You never get a second chance to make a first impression". Let's hope there will be an exception to that rule, as Europe have reemerged with 2004's "Start from the dark" which is a strong return to the band's heavy metal roots (with a more modern touch). I strongly recommend both albums to fans that like it HARD and HEAVY!

Wings of Tomorrow, the second full-length album from the Swedish band Europe, contains a good set of material. Released in 1984, there's a total of ten tracks included--one of these ("Aphasia") is an instrumental. There are also two power ballads ("Open Your Heart," "Dreamer"). All of the music is in a straight-ahead hard rock vein. Overall, the musicianship is good, the songwriting is worthy, and the sound quality is satisfying. I find all of the cuts to be listenable. I like Joey Tempest's singing--he's a talented, unique, and clear-voiced vocalist. John Norum also does a skillful job with the guitar playing duties. Keyboards, played by Mic Michaeli, are only used to a modest degree throughout. Examples of some of the tracks that I enjoy are the power ballad "Open Your Heart," the instrumental "Aphasia," and the title track "Wings of Tomorrow." "Open Your Heart" is a nice song that features a good guitar solo from Norum. The regal-sounding "Aphasia," one of my favorite instrumentals, is concise and displays impressive guitar work. "Wings of Tomorrow" is an energetic one that sports a pleasing chorus and a tight guitar solo. The opening tune, "Stormwind," is catchy and contains a well-constructed guitar solo. I also enjoy the flowing guitar solo to the lively "Wasted Time." The guys also do well with the power ballad "Dreamer." It has a smooth chorus and a gratifying guitar solo. The CD packaging doesn't include the song lyrics. I like the CD cover artwork of the bird of prey--it's creative and interesting. The back of the CD insert (containing the same illustration as the one on the back of the CD jewel case) shows people riding in outer space on the backs of birds toward a blue planet. The CD is almost 39 minutes in duration. Wings of Tomorrow is a good album from Europe.

Europe is a little heavier with a rawer production on this album. John Norum is a great guitar player and he plays well on this album. The instrumental "Aphasia" is a good example of how he plays. "Open your Heart" is a good ballad, and the title song "Wings of Tomorrow" is pretty heavy with a good vocal chorus. Not as good as The Final Countdown, but still is a good album.

Actually, I give this record 3 1/2 stars. For those of you who follow my writing, you know that I lean towards heavier stuff like Megadeth and King Diamond. But this record shows that lighter music can have charm too. Despite the moderate intensity of this record, it does have a distinctive edge. I commend this group for not hiding behind excess noise, obscenities, or issues that wore thin a long time ago. Tracks like 'Stormwind' and 'Wings of Tomorrow' will grab your attention. Tracks like 'Open Your Heart' and 'Dreamer' will show you that sometimes it's the art and not the noise that makes for good music. 'Aphasia' is a good instrumental. Overall, the record has good consistency, a nice edge, and some beauty as well. Would I have taken an hour drive to an expensive 'you name it, we got it' place just for this? Probably not. But if you are able to find it, I do suggest giving it a chance. Is this my favorite record? No. But I will say I think it's A LOT better than a lot of recent stuff. This may not be my favorite group. But at least they care about the art of music. Also, their music is not just a big commercial racket. Give this record a chance. You won't be sorry.

This was an amazing album from Europe (before they became famous).

This is more of a melodic rock (somewhat metal) album, just like Europe's first album.

I rated this album 5 stars because its has many great riffs and nice choruses,

and on top of that, it is well composed. Its hard to find a musically rich album like this.