Europe are back with their 11th album, Walk The Earth, an album that may well be their best in a career stretching over three decades. Metal Express Radio's Mick Burgess spoke with lead singer Joey Tempest to talk about the album and the band's forthcoming UK tour. An excerpt is available below.

Q: Do you think that those people who only know you through your hits would be surprised if they investigated your music further?

Joey: "I think it serves as an introduction in a way. Maybe the songs spread so when people hear them on TV or the radio people check us out. I think it introduces us to a new generation and they check us out and come and see us live which is really cool. Some of our songs are for a broader audience but I`d say that most are for a more rock orientated audience and we feel more comfortable with that. We enjoyed having the hits in the pop charts, but we do appreciate the kudos we`ve got from the rock fans for our last few albums. That means a lot to us."

Q: If you were going to tempt someone in to discover life beyond the hits, which 5 songs would you pick to get them hooked?

Joey: "That`s quite difficult, as the last three albums in particular mean a lot to us, but I`d probably say 'Last Look At Eden', 'Firebox', 'Walk The Earth', 'War of Kings' and 'Not Supposed To Sing The Blues'. Those songs mean a lot to me and have a pure organic feel with strong melodies and great playing."

Q: You have a new album out a short while ago, Walk The Earth. Are you pleased with the reaction it's received?

Joey: "Yes, it`s been amazing. We wrote it quite quickly and wrote a lot of it on the road. We think it`s one of our best albums, so the reaction we received made us feel great. We even won a Grammy in Sweden and we`ve never won one of those before. Classic Rock Magazine hinted that it might be our best album yet so that meant a lot to us, especially as we made something spontaneously and followed our instincts. I think the title track is one of our best songs, and 'Kingdom United' too. 'Turn To Dust' is another one I really like. There`s some great stuff on the album. We need to take chances and we need to challenge ourselves and try ideas we wouldn`t have tried 10 years ago. That`s very important to us."

Read the complete interview here.

Europe, who landed on BraveWords' BravePicks 2017 list at #10 with their Walk The Earth album, picked up a Swedish Grammis award for for the release in the "Best Hard Rock/Metal" category.

Europe beat out Arch Enemy (Will To Power), H.E.A.T. (Into The Great Unknown), The Night Flight Orchestra (Amber Galactic) and Vampire (With Primeval Force) to clinch the award.

Says the band: "A huge thank you to Darren Edwards, Serena Furlan and all at Silver Lining / Warner’s for their work on the Walk The Earth campaign!"

(Top Photo: Brian Cannon)