Hard Rock Band

Swedish hard rockers EUROPE have released the following statement: "So! A Swedish band called SABATON has gone platinum in Sweden, selling 40,000 units [of their latest album, 'Carolus Rex']. Nice one, lads! However, the media statement suggesting they are the first Swedish hard rock band ever to do so is a little ill-advised! Or, could it be we were 'punk'd' back in the '80s when presented with platinum discs for 'The Final Countdown'? No, wait! Ashton Kutcher wasn't even born back then! "Ah, the 80's! The days when stonewashed denim was cool, and platinum meant 100,000...!" The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) in Sweden has revised the sales requirements for albums to reach platinum status in the country three times in the last 17 years — from the pre-1996 level of 100,000 to the current 40,000.