Europe-Europe (1983)

Three years before they rose to global fame with their acclaimed pop-metal-oriented album "The Final Countdown", the Swedish band Europe began their powerful awakening with their self-titled debut album released in 1983. Fueled by the jovial enthusiasm of singer Joey Tempest, the metallic riffs of guitarist John Norum, and the driving rhythm section comprised of John Leven and Tony Reno, on this first record, the group showcased a heavier side with a powerful repertoire of conventional heavy metal songs with neoclassical influences. Although still showing some compositional immaturity, this album already features some of their best tracks, such as the heavy metal anthems "In The Future To Come", "Farewell", "Children of This Time", and "Seven Doors Hotel". The latter brought them their first major success outside of Europe, becoming a massive hit in countries like Japan, while the hard blues track "The King Will Return", the exhilarating "Boyazont", and the powerful ballad "Words of Wisdom" completed one of the best European heavy metal debuts of the 1980s.