Europe had always shown promise. Their earliest releases showed a flair for hard rocking melodic tunes. And as they became popular, they had experimented with a harder, bluesier sound at times during the 1991 album "Prisoners In Paradise," particularly on the great b side "Government Man." They stripped their sound down and tried some acoustic stuff also. But it was not until after their breakup and reformation in 2004 for the album "Start From the Dark" that the band really, truly found their creative groove. That album had its moments, but it was more about the groove, as it lacked cohesive hooks. The follow up to that (2006's "Secret Society") was a blistering, gutsy rock album that pulled out all the stops, and the follow up to that (2009's "Last Look At Eden") found the band combining a bluesy guitar driven sound with the hooks of their earlier work.So now, "Bag of Bones" is released and it is a further improvement. Joey Tempest has never sounded better vocally or lyrically. These songs have hooks and hit hard. "Doghouse" is one of the band's greatest songs. The album opener "Riches To Rags" is another standout. The album's lone ballad, the closing track "Bring It All Home," is a maudlin ballad that is not sappy or cheesy in any way. It is a surprisingly emotional and sentimental look back at life through the years. As for the performances of the band, they are playing these songs with an energy that is palpable, and a level of enthusiasm that bands much younger than them can rarely even reach.Europe has now been around for three full decades. This is without question the best album a band has ever released this late into their careers. And given the quality of this recording, there is no reason to think that this band has any intention of slowing down. It's one thing to get better with age. It's another thing to get so much better that age becomes irrelevant. If Europe keeps releasing albums as good as "Bag Of Bones," they could go on for another 30 years. This is the type of album that will singlehandedly renew your faith in sensible melodic rock.