Europe has released “Scandinavian Eyes,” the third single pulled from the band’s upcoming album, Come This Madness, due out Sept. 25 via Silver Lining Music.
The track leans into a driving riff and a big, orchestral-leaning arrangement, giving it a scale that feels built for arenas. It’s Europe doing what the band does best: pairing the punch of rock with a sense of sweep that borders on cinematic.
Europe founding member and frontman Joey Tempest singled the song out as a personal favorite: “This driving riff, orchestral magic, vocal and guitar melodies make this one of my favorite 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 performance video, directed by Patric Ullaeus, leans into the band’s live chemistry rather than concept or narrative, letting Europe‘s energy as a unit carry the visual. In a statement, the band said: “Friends! It’s finally here: ‘Scandinavian Eyes,’ one of our own favorite tracks from the upcoming album ‘Come This Madness’!
“We thought it was about time to deliver a performance video, created by none other than our dear friend Patric Ullaeus, who also brought you the videos for ‘One On One’ and ‘The Cult Of Ignorance’.”
Four decades in, Europe shows no interest in slowing down, still finding ways to evolve without losing what made the band a force in the first place. Across “One On One,” “The Cult Of Ignorance,” and the title track “Come This Madness,” the new record channels tension and honesty into something that lands as both intimate and expansive.
The album’s rollout began in late April with lead single “One On One,” a track built around a driving bass riff that blends Europe‘s classic sound with something more modern. It opens on an orchestral intro before dropping into a riff-heavy core, building toward the kind of high-impact moment that plays well in arenas. Written during a period of global stillness but shaped over several years, the song ended up becoming one of the record’s defining moments, one Tempest and company refused to abandon.
The video for “One On One” took a very different visual approach, ditching the usual band-performance format for something stark and character-driven. Acclaimed actor Peter Stormare (Fargo, The Big Lebowski, Minority Report, 8MM, Armageddon) carried the video as its sole on-screen presence, playing a battered, emotionally raw figure in a performance that anchored the whole piece.
“We always knew Peter loved rock music, and when his name came up it just felt right,” Tempest continued. “We wanted to approach this from a different angle — something more stripped back and unexpected.”
Patric Ullaeus also directed the “One On One” video.
“The Cult Of Ignorance,” meanwhile, takes a more anthemic route, built on a hook that’s hard to shake and a chorus that lands as both catchy and pointed without tipping into cynicism. The video that accompanies it reads like a who’s-who of Swedish culture: actress Malin Åkerman, former World No. 1 tennis player Stefan Edberg, astronaut Christer Fuglesang, Howling Pelle of The Hives, Mikael Åkerfeldt and Fredrik Åkesson of Opeth, and E-Type all make appearances alongside a broader cast pulled from music, film, sports and science.
Come This Madness was tracked at RMV Studio in Stockholm, the facility founded by Benny Andersson and Ludvig Andersson. Guest spots on the record come courtesy of Tobias Forge of Ghost and Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth, with production handled by Tom Dalgety (Ghost, Rammstein, Pixies, The Cult, Opeth), who Tempest says became deeply embedded in the writing and recording process. Mixing duties went to veteran engineer Mike Fraser (AC/DC, Van Halen, Metallica, The Cult, Loverboy).
Tempest had high praise for his collaborator: “It was a true pleasure working with Tom. He’s creative, musical, and incredibly intuitive — he really became a sixth member of the band during the writing and recording of this album. We even invited him to co-write on some of the songs.”
Beyond the album rollout, Europe has a packed live schedule ahead, including festival dates and a full tour marking the 40th anniversary of The Final Countdown. That run, billed as “The Final Countdown 40th Anniversary Tour,” kicks off Sept. 30 in Glasgow.
Artwork for Come This Madness comes from Storm Studios, the design house behind covers for Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Muse.
The album will be available on vinyl, CD and digital formats.
Europe last put out new music in September 2023 with the standalone single “Hold Your Head Up,” described by the band as a punchy, uptempo rocker with echoes of the group’s early years. It was recorded in August 2023 at Atlantis Studios in Stockholm with producer Klas Åhlund (Ghost, Robyn) and mixed by Stefan Glaumann (Rammstein, Def Leppard), who also handled mixing on Europe‘s Secret Society album. “Hold Your Head Up” hit streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple, iTunes, Amazon Music, Deezer, Tidal, Pandora and YouTube Music, on Sept. 29, 2023.
Before that, Europe‘s most recent full-length was Walk The Earth, released October 2017 via Hell & Back Recordings(Silver Lining Music). It was recorded at London’s Abbey Road Studios with Grammy-winning producer Dave Cobb(Rival Sons, Shooter Jennings, Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton).
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