Start from the Dark is the sixth studio album by the Swedish rock band Europe. It was released on 22 September 2004 by Sanctuary Records. It was the band's first release since reforming in 2003, the first original album of all-new material since 1991's Prisoners in Paradise, and the first album to feature the band's original guitarist John Norum since 1986's The Final Countdown.
| Start from the Dark | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 22 September 2004 | |||
| Recorded | 2004 | |||
| Studio | Studios 301 (Stockholm), Little Big Room (Stockholm) | |||
| Genre | Hard rock | |||
| Length | 48:33 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Kevin Elson, Europe | |||
| Europe chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Start from the Dark | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
Start from the Dark departs from the glam metal genre and featured a more modern sound compared to Europe's first two albums.[2] "We wanted to be doing something at least that was a little bit relevant now; bit of a dry mix, detuned a bit," vocalist Joey Tempest said, "So we felt like we didn't want to do an '80s album per se, we just wanted to start like a fresh band really."[3] Eventually, the album sold in excess of 600,000 copies worldwide.[4]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Joey Tempest and John Norum, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Got to Have Faith" | 3:10 | |
| 2. | "Start from the Dark" | 4:12 | |
| 3. | "Flames" | Tempest | 3:55 |
| 4. | "Hero" | Tempest | 4:15 |
| 5. | "Wake Up Call" | 4:14 | |
| 6. | "Reason" | Tempest, Mic Michaeli | 4:37 |
| 7. | "Song No. 12" | 4:09 | |
| 8. | "Roll with You" | 4:30 | |
| 9. | "Sucker" | Tempest | 3:42 |
| 10. | "Spirit of the Underdog" | Tempest | 4:25 |
| 11. | "America" | Tempest | 3:35 |
| 12. | "Settle for Love" | 3:49 |
Personnel
edit- Band
- Joey Tempest – vocals, acoustic guitars
- John Norum – guitars
- John Levén – bass
- Mic Michaeli – keyboards
- Ian Haugland – drums
- Others
- Marcus Michaeli – additional beats
- Europe – producer
- Kevin Elson – producer, mixing
- Tom Size – engineer
- Bob Ludwig – mastering
- Niklas Bernstone – photography
- Niklas Brodd – art direction and graphic production
- Thomas Krebs – art direction and graphic production
Charts
edit| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[5] | 86 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[6] | 114 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI)[7] | 65 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[8] | 2 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[9] | 91 |
References
edit- ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r715128
- ^ "Start From the Dark – Overview". allmusic.com. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
- ^ "BLABBERMOUTH.NET – EUROPE Singer: 'We Have More Great Songs Than Just The Final Countdown'". roadrunnerrecords.com. Archived from the original on 6 December 2008. Retrieved 25 July 2008.
- ^ "RATHOLE.com – Fireworks Magazine: Issue 26". RATHOLE.com. Retrieved 23 December 2007.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Europe – Start from the Dark" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Europe – Start from the Dark". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- ^ "Italiancharts.com – Europe – Start from the Dark". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Europe – Start from the Dark". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Europe – Start from the Dark". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 12, 2024.