Swedish rock veterans Europe have released “Scandinavian Eyes”, the newest single from their upcoming studio album Come This Madness, due out September 25 via Silver Lining Music. Pre-orders are open now.
The track is built around a driving riff and a big chorus, with soaring vocal lines and orchestral arrangements layered underneath. It leans on the immediacy of rock while borrowing scale from classical music, and the band clearly wrote it with a stage in mind.
Founding member and frontman Joey Tempest said of the song:
“This driving riff, orchestral magic, vocal and guitar melodies make this one of my favourite Europe songs in a long time!”
“A lyric about crossing the line between good and ‘not so good’…. We’re very proud of this track and can’t wait to perform it live!”
The accompanying performance video was directed by Patric Ullaeus, who also handled the clips for previous singles “The Cult of Ignorance” and “One on One”. It keeps the focus on the band playing, letting the song carry itself.
Come This Madness was recorded at RMV Studio in Stockholm, the facility founded by Benny Andersson and Ludvig Andersson. Tom Dalgety, known for his work with Ghost, Rammstein, Pixies, The Cult and Opeth, produced the record and was embedded in the writing and recording process rather than brought in at the end. Mixing went to Mike Fraser, whose credits include AC/DC, Van Halen, Metallica, The Cult and Loverboy.
The album also features guest backing vocals from Tobias Forge of Ghost and Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth. Cover artwork comes from Storm Studios, the design house behind sleeves for Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Muse.
Alongside the release, Europe head out on The Final Countdown 40th Anniversary Tour, marking four decades since the song that made them a household name. The run starts in Glasgow on September 30 and continues across Europe into late November, with Japanese dates following in January 2027. A large number of shows have already sold out and several others are down to their last tickets.
Pre-order Come This Madness and find tour dates: europetheband.com
Come This Madness Tracklist
- One on One
- The Cult of Ignorance
- Come This Madness
- This Time of Year
- In a Different World
- Scandinavian Eyes
- Takin’ It Back
- In the Absence of Grace
- The Angels Must Have Flown
- The Devil’s Back
- Nothing Can Follow This
The Final Countdown 40th Anniversary Tour
2026 Dates
- 30 Sep – SEC Armadillo, Glasgow (GB)
- 2 Oct – Civic Hall, Wolverhampton (GB) – SOLD OUT
- 3 Oct – Eventim Apollo Hammersmith, London (GB) – VERY LOW TICKETS
- 5 Oct – Musis Arnhem, Arnhem (NL) – SOLD OUT
- 6 Oct – Olympia, Paris (FR) – SOLD OUT
- 8 Oct – Poble Espanyol, Barcelona (ES)
- 9 Oct – Bilbao Arena Mirabilla, Bilbao (ES)
- 10 Oct – La Cubierta, Madrid (ES) – VERY LOW TICKETS
- 12 Oct – Salle Métropole, Lausanne (CH)
- 13 Oct – Volkshaus, Zürich (CH)
- 14 Oct – Alcatraz, Milan (IT)
- 16 Oct – Liederhalle, Stuttgart (DE) – SOLD OUT
- 17 Oct – Gasometer, Wien (AT) – SOLD OUT
- 19 Oct – Admiralspalast Theater, Berlin (DE) – SOLD OUT
- 20 Oct – COS Torwar, Warszawa (PL)
- 22 Oct – Falkoner, Frederiksberg (DK) – VERY LOW TICKETS
- 23 Oct – Film Studios, Gothenburg (SE) – SOLD OUT
- 24 Oct – B-K, Stockholm (SE) – SOLD OUT
- 26 Oct – Sentrum Scene, Oslo (NO) – SOLD OUT
- 15 Nov – Malta Metal Weekend, St. Julians (MT)
- 21 Nov – Ostravar Aréna, Ostrava (CZ)
- 25 Nov – Aalto Hall @ House of Culture, Helsinki (FI)
- 27 Nov – John Smith Rock Frozen Paviljonki, Jyväskylä (FI)
- 28 Nov – Unholy Winter Festival Joensuu Areena, Joensuu (FI)
2027 Dates
- 13 Jan – NHK Hall, Tokyo (JP)
- 14 Jan – Shi Kokaido, Nagoya (JP)
- 15 Jan – Grand Cube, Osaka (JP)
Europe Lineup
- Joey Tempest – lead vocals
- John Norum – guitars
- John Levén – bass
- Mic Michaeli – keyboards
- Ian Haugland – drums
