The Answer - Everyday Demons

The 70s was a great time for rock music, when some of the wildest, most incendiary acts were blasting into the UK music scene head on. That was Act Two though, the pinnacle of the movement; for Act One we need to go back to 1968 when three of the greatest rock bands ever were taking their first steps towards greatness – Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and of course the guv’nors.. Led Zeppelin.

Why the history lesson? Well, if you were to hit play on The Answer’s ‘Everyday Demons’ as a casual rock fan and with no previous knowledge of the band, by track three you’d swear that they originated in the same era. This second album from the Irish likely lads kicks off in ‘take no prisoners’ mode and even though there are touches of the 80s in there, the feel is still undeniably rooted in classic rock’s heyday.

There’s a lot of goodness in here that captures the devil-take-the-hindmost excesses of 70s rock, with singer Cormac Neeson belting out the most authentic rock scream this side of Ian GIllan, gravelly and coarse one moment, soaring into stratosphere the next. Backing his stellar excursions are a sharp rhythm section that manages to mix in a welcome touch of looseness and groove, all drenched in fiery guitars and the sort of scorching bluesy solos that went south when the 80s happened. The production throughout is tight enough to escape the occasional mush suffered by complex progressive recordings of the 70s whilst still capturing a vibrant, almost live sound.

There are moments when the undeniably retro rock feel does start to sound familiar though – the opening strains of ‘On And On’ sound like a dead ringer for the melody in Cream’s ‘I Feel Free’ , and the Purple and Zep influences are strong throughout. That’s not a criticism as such, as the classic rock canon tends to be representative of a certain sound and doesn’t necessarily cover all of the bases. The sound that new fans associate with the genre is quite narrow as a result, and The Answer throw enough of their own attitude in to come across as recognisable rather than derivative.

Regardless of the weight of history behind the genre ‘Everyday Demons’ stands up for itself and rocks hard and loose without feeling like it’s riding the classic rock movement. Retro doesn’t always have to mean backwards, and if rock’s got a future then these lads are going to well placed at the forefront.