After emerging with ‘Rise’ close to a decade ago, The Answer received rave reviews, were lauded by their idols and even bagged a support slot with AC/DC, but never quite managed that elusive breakthrough. Then, just as blues-rock's stock was beginning to soar, they released 'New Horizon', a broadly forgettable album that sounded like their death knell. Which makes ‘Raise A Little Hell’ - quite simply the finest album of their career - a wonderful surprise.
A couple of years ago, Cormac Neeson told Classic Rock magazine that the Northern Irish rockers would be finished if they didn't achieve greater success soon. But here they've clearly shaken off that existential crisis and fallen in love with making music again, outcome be damned.
This is a return to the uncompromising blood and guts rock ‘n' roll they did so well on their first two releases, while buzzing with a vitality, freshness and clarity of purpose that's indicative of a creative rebirth.
The songs follow the AC/DC blueprint and are not over produced, allowing the instrumental power and tightness of the group to drive proceedings while amplifying the phenomenal sense of groove on display.
Long Live The Renegades, Aristocrat, Red and especially I Am What I Am are not just deliciously heavy but also funky thanks to guitarist Paul Mahon's thunderously cool riffs and Neeson’s phrasing, which displays a sharp rhythmic swing.
Allied to that, the huge hooks that went AWOL on 'New Horizon' return with a bang, resulting in insanely catchy cuts to get heads banging and hips shaking. If you're not singing along to the brilliant Gone Too Long, The Other Side and Cigarettes And Regret there's something seriously wrong with you.
Mahon is the band's heartbeat and MVP, combining razor-edged riffage with twanging arpeggios and the screaming solos of Thin Lizzy. He kindles fire on Whiplash, growls out gnarly blues slide on I Am Cured and delivers solo and rhythm textures throughout that feel inventive while fitting the band's dynamic.
The Answer have always managed to throw in some new shapes and Last Day Of Summer and Strange Kind Of Nothing are somehow familiar but enjoyably different. The former is a drop-tuned funereal lament that channels the doomy throb of Black Sabbath, while the latter emphasises the dusky cinematic beauty of 'Joshua Tree'-era U2.
It's unlikely The Answer will ever be as successful as they'd like, which says more about prevailing trends than their undoubted abilities. But if they continue to make albums like 'Raise A Little Hell' and focus on being the biggest fish in their pond, they'll be cherished by those who matter most.
The Answer Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Wed March 11 2015 - YORK Fibbers
Thu March 12 2015 - ABERDEEN Lemon Tree
Fri March 13 2015 - GLASGOW Glasgow Garage
Sat March 14 2015 - NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE Think Tank at Riverside
Mon March 16 2015 - GRIMSBY Yardbirds - Grimsby
Tue March 17 2015 - LIVERPOOL Arts Club
Wed March 18 2015 - SOUTHEND Chinnerys
Thu March 19 2015 - NOTTINGHAM Nottingham Rescue Rooms
Fri March 20 2015 - BIRMINGHAM Library, Institute
Sat March 21 2015 - SHEFFIELD Corporation
Mon March 23 2015 - NORWICH Waterfront
Tue March 24 2015 - BRISTOL Thekla
Wed March 25 2015 - BRIGHTON Concorde 2
Thu March 26 2015 - LONDON O2 Academy Islington
Fri March 27 2015 - EXETER Lemon Grove
Sat March 28 2015 - SOUTHAMPTON 1865
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