REVIEWS
| 411MANIA Reviews THE ANSWER - 'Everyday Demons' |
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if you’re a fan of AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, the Who, Deep Purple, or Aerosmith, here’s a new band to prove that the roots of that style still pulse strong. DATE: 03/25/2009 RATING: 8/10 Stars URL: http://www.411mania.com/music/album_reviews/100193 The Answer begins not with a question (oh, brother, these corny quips better stop before I get rolling with too many of them), but rather a big fat hard rock riff that would make AC/DC proud. But don’t let that fool you. Not to knock AC/DC, but sometimes they don’t have the deepest of lyrics. I’m not saying that the Answer’s sophomore release is going to involve deep thinking, but they do have some things to say, saying them while at the same time rocking out. It begins with “Demon Eyes,” a great opener, and perhaps one of the best tracks off this one. While not copying any specific hard or classic rock outfit, there’s a lot in place that reminds you of some of the greats of hard rock. And the second track, “Too Far Gone,” reinforces that. Anyone who’s ever heard the Who’s “The Real Me”… without being derivative in any way, “Too Far Gone” has the energy and spirit of that anthem. It’s anti-establishment and rebellion. Vocalist Cormac Neeson has an awesome set of pipes on him. I’m talking a powerful voice that for sure involves elements of Robert Plant and Ian Gillian. While I said that nothing on this release borrows too heavily from predecessors or forefathers of this style of music, the third track, “On and On,” has Cormac sounding the most like Gillian. I swear you could slip it onto Black Sabbath’s Born Again, and it’d be a good fit. The band slows the pace down with “Cry Out,” an excellent bluesy hard rock track, and “Why’d You Change Your Mind,” maybe a little too mellow alternative rock for me. Regardless, each of these tracks allows the vocalist to further display his impressive range. “Pride” suffers from the same weaker style. These last two tracks placed nearly dead center on this album. The band returns to form with “Walkin’ Mat,” some tight groove with attitude. Doing a track by track accounting usually isn’t my thing, but it would be silly to cut it short at this stage. So you have “Tonight,” definitely an uplifting rocker, and while I’ve been passing praise to the vocalist, the other three in this group, guitarist Paul Mahon, bassist Micky Waters, and drummer James Heatley are tightly bundled together. It’s equally evidenced on this track, as with most of the tunes on this one. Everyday Demons is rounded out by “Dead of the Night” (shorter and punchy, like “On and On”), “Comfort Zone” (where at moments some of the mellower moments have just a slight Led Zeppelin echo), and “Evil Man,” the band closing out on the right note, bringing some good foot-stomping blues into this rocking track, harmonica closing it all out. The Answer hails from Northern Ireland. Dang, what other Northern Irish bands can you name (Van Morrison and Therapy?)? They’ve gotten their fair amount of attention in a relatively short time, and with good reason. My guess is that they’ll be an act to watch.  (click to enlarge) |
reviews
REVIEWS
| 411MANIA Reviews THE ANSWER - 'Everyday Demons' |
|
|
|
|
if you’re a fan of AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, the Who, Deep Purple, or Aerosmith, here’s a new band to prove that the roots of that style still pulse strong. DATE: 03/25/2009 RATING: 8/10 Stars URL: http://www.411mania.com/music/album_reviews/100193 The Answer begins not with a question (oh, brother, these corny quips better stop before I get rolling with too many of them), but rather a big fat hard rock riff that would make AC/DC proud. But don’t let that fool you. Not to knock AC/DC, but sometimes they don’t have the deepest of lyrics. I’m not saying that the Answer’s sophomore release is going to involve deep thinking, but they do have some things to say, saying them while at the same time rocking out. It begins with “Demon Eyes,” a great opener, and perhaps one of the best tracks off this one. While not copying any specific hard or classic rock outfit, there’s a lot in place that reminds you of some of the greats of hard rock. And the second track, “Too Far Gone,” reinforces that. Anyone who’s ever heard the Who’s “The Real Me”… without being derivative in any way, “Too Far Gone” has the energy and spirit of that anthem. It’s anti-establishment and rebellion. Vocalist Cormac Neeson has an awesome set of pipes on him. I’m talking a powerful voice that for sure involves elements of Robert Plant and Ian Gillian. While I said that nothing on this release borrows too heavily from predecessors or forefathers of this style of music, the third track, “On and On,” has Cormac sounding the most like Gillian. I swear you could slip it onto Black Sabbath’s Born Again, and it’d be a good fit. The band slows the pace down with “Cry Out,” an excellent bluesy hard rock track, and “Why’d You Change Your Mind,” maybe a little too mellow alternative rock for me. Regardless, each of these tracks allows the vocalist to further display his impressive range. “Pride” suffers from the same weaker style. These last two tracks placed nearly dead center on this album. The band returns to form with “Walkin’ Mat,” some tight groove with attitude. Doing a track by track accounting usually isn’t my thing, but it would be silly to cut it short at this stage. So you have “Tonight,” definitely an uplifting rocker, and while I’ve been passing praise to the vocalist, the other three in this group, guitarist Paul Mahon, bassist Micky Waters, and drummer James Heatley are tightly bundled together. It’s equally evidenced on this track, as with most of the tunes on this one. Everyday Demons is rounded out by “Dead of the Night” (shorter and punchy, like “On and On”), “Comfort Zone” (where at moments some of the mellower moments have just a slight Led Zeppelin echo), and “Evil Man,” the band closing out on the right note, bringing some good foot-stomping blues into this rocking track, harmonica closing it all out. The Answer hails from Northern Ireland. Dang, what other Northern Irish bands can you name (Van Morrison and Therapy?)? They’ve gotten their fair amount of attention in a relatively short time, and with good reason. My guess is that they’ll be an act to watch. (click to enlarge) |
