EUROPE Wins Swedish GRAMMIS Award For 'Walk The Earth'

EUROPE was honored in the "Best Hard Rock/Metal" category at the Swedish Grammis awards (Swedish Grammy equivalent),which was held Thursday night (February 8) at Grand Hôtel in Stockholm.

The bands were nominated for their most recent releases, all of which came out during 2017.

"Best Hard Rock/Metal" nominees were as follows:

* ARCH ENEMY - "Will To Power"
* EUROPE - "Walk The Earth"
* H.E.A.T. - "Into The Great Unknown"
* THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA - "Amber Galactic"
* VAMPIRE - "With Primeval Force"

"Walk The Earth" was released last October via EUROPE's own Hell & Back label through Silver Lining Music. The follow-up to 2015's "War Of Kings" was laid down at London, England's legendary Abbey Road studios and was produced by Dave Cobb, who also helmed the band's previous disc.

Speaking about EUROPE's musical evolution leading up to the release of "Walk The Earth", drummer Ian Haugland told the "Rock Talk With Mitch Lafon" podcast: "I think when we set out in 2004 to reunite and start the new journey, we said that we needed to let the music be the inspiration — not just trying to get a radio hit song or whatever but always to let the inspiration and the music be the guiding light, basically let the music take us to wherever it leads us. So the music is leading the way, and it's been like that since [2004's] 'Start From The Dark'. And we've been exploring different paths and different inspirations.

"I remember early on, with 'Start From The Dark', we were pretty much into AUDIOSLAVE and VELVET REVOLVER and bands like that," he continued. "Then we went a little bit into the bluesier kind of vibe when we discovered Joe Bonamassa and BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION. So we've been swaying between different styles. But I would say that [2015's] 'War Of Kings' and 'Walk The Earth' definitely have been more focused on the same path. I think we're very much exploring our inspirations and roots from the '70s — you know, DEEP PURPLE, [LED] ZEPPELIN, BLACK SABBATH, all those beautiful bands that we grew up [on], all the bands that were the starting point for us playing music as teenagers.

"We're trying less to not sound like our idols from the '70s," Haugland added. "The fact that we are inspired by these bands shows in the music. And I think by doing that, by not trying so hard to do, or not do, something, the music just flows naturally, and we have a relaxed attitude towards the songwriting process, especially with 'War Of Kings' and 'Walk The Earth', that we produced with Dave Cobb, the producer."

"Walk The Earth" features original artwork by famed Los Angeles artist Mike Sportes of Filth Mart.

Photo credit: Brian Cannon