The Answer - Solas (Deluxe Edition) (2016)

Genre - Hard Rock / Classic Rock

Label - Napalm Records

Track listing:

01. Solas
02. Beautiful World
03. Battle Cry
04. Untrue Colour
05. In This Land
06. Thief Of Light
07. Being Begotten
08. Left Me Standing
09. Demon Driven Man
10. Real Life Dreamers
11. Tunnel

12. In This Land (Acoustic Bonus Track)

13. Light In Darkness (Demo Bonus Track)

14. Money (Pink Floyd Cover Bonus Track)

THE ANSWER are back with the brand new album "Solas" following hot on the heels of their re-mastered and re-released edition of 'Rise' earlier this year.
On "Solas" (the Gaelic word for light) the band have really grown and seem to have made a real about turn in their musical outlook. Less arena-ready blues rockers and more reflective songs and Gaelic influences in some of the music.
There is just so much to take in and enjoy from ‘Being Begotten’, which sounds like a Robert Plant solo song through to ‘Battle Cry’ which is just that, opening with some sweet gentle acoustic and Cormac’s beautifully poetic vocal.
Then a steady bass drum enters, building the song into an intense and deeply layered track, complete with strings and an uplifting chorus sung in Gaelic. An amazing song and one of the best songs this band have recorded.
The vocal arrangements, the uplifting lyrics – they have really nailed it on this one.
‘Beautiful World’ is a real left-field song, co-written with former Massive Attack producer/composer Neil Davidge, it has a cinematic and epic feel to the music that rises nicely to a full band crescendo.
The title track mixes a little Led Zeppelin with background atmospheres and Cormac Neeson really lets fly on his vocal powers. Listen to the outro you will be suitably impressed.
Oh and listen to ‘Untrue Colour’ for the Cars-like synth breaks – one for a future airplay/single release. They still rock out though, as ‘Left Me Standing’ romps along nicely and features Thin Lizzy approved guitars. There is also ‘Demon Drive Man’ driven by a straight riff..
‘Real Life Dreamers’ sees Cormac joined by Fiona McBride for a slow, haunting number and along with slow blues of ‘Tunnel’, add more variety to the mix. The latter song features Hammond and a blistering solo by Paul Mahon.

'Solas' shows a band truly coming of age and stretching themselves both musically and artistically as song writers.
Quite possibly one of the most important albums that The Answer will ever record, and definitely one of the best albums to be released in 2016!

Very Highly Recommended!

Rating: 10/10

THE ANSWER - Raise A Little Hell [2CD Ltd. Ed. Digipak] (2015)

Genre - Hard Rock / Classic Rock

Label - Pledge Music / Napalm Records

 

Track listing:

CD 1: 01 - Long Live the Renegades
02 - The Other Side
03 - Aristocrat
04 - Cigarettes & Regret
05 - Last Days of Summer
06 - Strange Kinda' Nothing
07 - I Am What I Am
08 - Whiplash
09 - Gone Too Long
10 - Red
11 - I Am Cured
12 - Raise a Little Hell

BONUS CD:
01 - Feel Like I'm On My Way
02 - Flying
03 - I Will Follow On
04 - The Other Side (Acoustic Version)
05 - Gone Too Long (Acoustic Version)
06 - Strange Kinda' Nothing (Unplugged Version)

For the last 10 years, THE ANSWER have been trying to keep the Classic Rock / Hard Rock flame alive, carrying the traditional sound & style of the genre all over the world, and judging by their success, they do a good job at it.
The Answer are back with album number five and their second for Napalm Records – even better news there, as they have signed on for a further two albums with the label.
Entitled "Raise A Little Hell", the new record is some kind of a return to the style of their first albums with an updated production yet retaining a warm 'analog vibe'.
"Long Live The Renegades" is a great opening statement, from the Thin Lizzy approved guitar solos through to Cormac Neeson showing off his fine vocal swagger. The first thing we notice is the classy production, harking back to the simple purity of albums like ‘Rise’. Massive props then to long-time friend and producer Will Maya for putting The Answer back where they belong. If ever there was a fifth member of The Answer – somebody who truly knows their sound, then this is he.
"The Other Side" and "Aristocrat" are up next, and are mildly reminiscent of the kind of stuff Aerosmith used to crank out without breaking a sweat. "Aristocrat" in particular, oozes with a sleaze and swagger of the Boston legends’ ‘Toys In The Attic’ and ‘Rocks’ heyday.
"Cigarettes & Regret" is a cover of sorts – originally penned by Jaren Johnson and Neil Mason from The Cadillac Three, but as far as I am aware they never recorded it. It’s not the best song The Answer have ever recorded (their back-catalogue is crammed too full of them to pick just one), but it could perhaps offer them their best chance yet of crossing over into the mainstream, with it’s almost Bon Jovi-esque hooks and commercial appeal. The hit single they’ve been waiting all these years for? Quite possibly. Yes.
Conversely, "Last Days of Summer" is a five minute-plus blues jam and if you were ever in any doubt that Cormac Neeson is in possession of one of the finest set of vocal chords in Rock today, you need look no further than here. Simply breath-taking.
Shifting the pace down a gear or two, "Strange Kinda Nothing" is easily the finest ballad The Answer have penned to date. More evidence here of Neeson’s awesome vocal range, but with the addition of some beautiful acoustic guitar from Paul Mahon.
Back to the Rock then, and rhythm section Micky Waters (bass) and James Heatley (drums) get to flex their muscles on "I Am What I Am", complete ass-kicker with gang vocals on the chorus, proving Neeson isn’t the only singer in this band, followed by "Whiplash" – another hard-hitter in the classic Answer vein.
At this stage, the album is just getting better and better with every track, and it seems the band can do no wrong.
And then they pull out "Gone Too Long". If this isn't their best song yet… a hit single in waiting, that’s just crying out for an atmospheric video to go with it, and destined to be a massive live favourite. I defy you to listen to this song and not fall in love with this band.
"Red" sees The Answer cranking up the glammy sleazy quota again, followed by "I Am Cured" – another bonafide rock classic that only The Answer seem capable of pulling off these days, before rounding out the album with title-track "Raise A Little Hell", and a return to the signature bluesy sound with some edge.
The Answer have always offered exciting options and great value for money – whether they be limited editions or bonus tracks, and "Raise a Little Hell" is no different.
This Limited Edition Digipak includes a bonus disc containing 6 bonus tracks unavailable anywhere else.
With "Raise A Little Hell" The Answer haven’t simply returned to the blistering form of their earlier output, they have in fact recorded the album of their career – an album that, with a big enough push and a carefully selected touring schedule, could see them finally achieve their true potential.
If you never liked this band - or never heard them at all - do yourself a favour and try "Raise A Little Hell". This is pure Classic Rock / Classic Hard Rock as it should be done.
Highly Recommended.

Rating - 9/10

BLACKWOLF - The Hunt (2014)

Genre - Hard Rock / Classic Rock / Blues
Label - Self Release

Track listing:

01 - Mr Maker
02 - Keep Moving On
03 - Moving Mountains
04 - Faith In Me
05 - Trouble
06 - Only Said In Silence
07 - House Of Emerald Wine
08 - Raised On The Sun
09 - Black Hole Friend
10 - Dragging Ghosts
11 - Releif
12 - Sleepwalking
13 - Sea Of Mercy


Blackwolf are a five piece classic rock band hailing from the Bristol region of the UK. The soulful, hard and heavy rock’n’roll sound of BlackWolf, along with their energy and determination, has seen the band’s successful ventures grow from the small intimate stages of their local Bristol scene in 2010 to those of the main stage at O2 Academy Newcastle, Nottingham’s Rock City, Manchester Academy, O2 Academy Islington and many more.

Now Blackwolf are releasing their debut album in the form of The Hunt, “Sonically we wanted ‘The Hunt’ to sound like a contemporary record being made today but with some of the elements and flavours that all the great classic rock albums have." something that they have acheived here!
The huge guitars, fast hooks and loud drums provide the perfect landscape for vocalist Scott Sharp to wrap his tonsoils around, and that he does, bringing to mind many of the genre's greats as he does.
The production does a great job of capturing the vibe of each song without ever being too perfect. It remains just raw enough as not to dilute anything from the songs, a wonderful job accomplished by Jeff Rose (together with the band).
The Hunt is a very strong classic rock album, with high tempo fast paced rockers like, Mr Maker, Trouble, slower groovers like House Of Emerald Wine, melodic atmospheric tracks like Raised On The Sun, Releif, Sleepwalker and the softer songs like Faith In Me.

A really great album and amazingly strong debut album

Blackwolf release The Hunt on 2nd March 2014, grab a copy Very Highly Reconmended

Rating 9/10





Catch Blackwolf on the road

February UK Shows



WED 05 London O2 Academy 2 Islington
FRI 07 Leicester O2 Academy 3
SAT 08 Newcastle Trillians
SAT 22 Bristol The Exchange
FRI 28 Cardiff BBC Club

and as support on The Answer UK Tour - March 2014

8th - O2 Academy - Oxford
9th - Sub 89 - Reading
10th - Brook - Southampton
12th - Phoenix - Exeter
13th - White Rabbit - Plymouth
14th - The Live Rooms - Chester
15th - Sin City - Swansea
17th - The Globe - Cardiff
18th - Kasbah (formerly The Colosseum) - Coventry
19th - The Sugarmill - Stoke
20th - O2 Academy - Liverpool

The Answer Announce New Horizon....Road Less Travelled Tour (UK) 2014

The Answer - New Horizon (2013)

Genre - Hard Rock / Classic Rock
Label - Napalm Records

Track listing:

01 - New Horizon
02 - Leave With Nothin'
03 - Spectacular
04 - Speak Now
05 - Somebody Else
06 - Concrete
07 - Call Yourself a Friend
08 - Baby Kill Me
09 - Burn You Down
10 - Scream a Louder Love
11 - Road Less Travelled (ltd. ed. Bonus Track)
12 - Feel the Fear (ltd. ed. Bonus Track)
13 - Real as It Gets (ltd. ed. Bonus Track)
14 - White Flag (iTunes exclusive Bonus Track)

#### The following are not my own words but I couldn't agree with their author any more! please  credit the original author (unknown!) #####

"Northern Ireland classic hard rockers THE ANSWER have been around since 2000 but it took them until 2006 for their first album to be released. Better late than ever, since they've gone from strength to strength with each new recording.

My ears were pleasantly delighted with the material from the previous albums, but somehow there was something missing in the final delivery of their songs. Now listening "New Horizon" I know what it was: sonic spark. And it wasn't The Answer's fault.

Although all the tech aspects (production engineering, mix, etc.) were first class and the output earthy and classy, what these guys needed was someone capable to capture on tape these attributes plus the mislaid factor: the 'live' feeling.

Toby Jepson (Fastway, Saxon's 'Call To Arms') is the magician, as his superb job behind the desk has armed The Answer's music with a vivacious crisp and clear sound.

Big riffs hit you straight in the face as title track "New Horizon" opens up the proceedings. Guitarist Paul Mahon is on fire delivering a short blistering solo in between all the razor sharp riffs while Micky Waters and James Heatley keep the bulldozer rolling on bass and drums respectively. And this is before Cormac Neeson has entered the fray with his awesome raspy, classic bluesy voice. 

Now we're talking, and you know from the start that "New Horizon" will be 'the album' (possibly the definitive) from The Answer.

An almost funky beginning to "Leave With Nothin´" suddenly explodes in the chorus as the band decidedly tears it up. Heavy and directly to your bones, it gives way to the first single "Spectacular". I just love this song.

A thick nice bass line permeates throughout this punchy track with Mahon keeping the guitar soaring when he is not shredding it to bits. The swirling lyrical refrain 'We Could Be Spectacular' rotates like helicopter blades in the head and does not stop to thrill.

"Speak Now"' slows things down initially by letting us hear their tender side before cranking the guitars briefly for the chorus where Cormac shines brilliantly with some astonishing singing. It beats me that he and this band aren't bigger than they are. 

The ride continues until we are confronted by a stammering rock n' roll style riff that launches "Somebody Else" which evolves into The Quireboys territory mixed with Thunder at their very best and Marc Bolan & T. Rex. In other words; a truly great song.

An earth-shattering bass, led-heavy drumming and a riff-fest galore is what kickstarts "Concrete". Add Cormac on top of that and you have one of the best classic hardrockers of 2013.

With a tone of melancholy reflection "Call Yourself A Friend" builds and proves to be a triumphant moment within their output. Listen out for that change in tempo as they head out of the gates; sublime.

Tasty, groovy and full of glam "Baby Kill Me" is a great party starter and this is then topped by the following "Burn You Down", a stomping anthemic rocker if there ever was one. You can't beat a sing-a-long chorus, can you?

The regular CD edition ends on a real high note with "Scream A Louder Love", and definitely showcase what The Answer is all about. This is British classic hard rock of the highest order brought to life in a modern take.

But we have more juicy tracks to enjoy as bonuses; the swaggering come-n-go of "Road Less Travelled", the kick ass "Feel The Fear" (what a groove!) and the bruising "Real As It Gets".

We have as well the iTunes exclusive "White Flag" (it's also included in the double vinyl edition), another groovy monster driven by a pumping rhythm.

Like I said at the beginning, The Answer have only gotten better by each album. "New Horizon" definitely brings to the table how much talented these guys are.

There's not a single weak song here, containing a familiar swagger and treads on a path that is predictable and trusted, but it is done with a sense of confidence truly enviable. The Answer are by no means a throwback band but they know how to blend their influences with their own inspiration to create some foocking bad ass hard rock music in the process." 

 Very Highly Recommended.

Rating - 10/10

Sweet - The Answer (2013)

Genre - Hard Rock / Pop / Glam
Label - Angel Air Records

Track listing:
01 Do As I Say
02 X-Ray Specs
03 Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again
04 Stand Up
05 Nouveau Rock Star
06 Natural
07 Mind
08 Marshall Stack
09 Red Tape
10 When Friends Fall Out
11 Is It True
12 Dangerous Game
13 I Don’t Want To Say Goodnight
14 Crudely Mott

BONUS TRACKS
15 Marshall Stack (Alt Ending)
16 Do As I Say (Single Mix)
17 Stand Up (Hard Rock Version)

"SWEET are forever associated with that tremendous run of worldwide hit singles in the 70’s (no less than 13 UK Top 20 hit singles) but their popularity remains as they tour all over Europe where they still to this day enjoy headline status at festivals. The Answer was recorded in 1992 in Hanover, GERMANY and showcases how tight a rock band the group had become. This album has long been out of print with copies currently changing hands at over a £100 a copy. Now remastered with three bonus tracks"

On November 4th (2013) Angel Air Records re-release The Answer, by Andy Scott's Sweet, fully remastered and including 3 bonus tracks (as stated above) but is the album any good? Well the answer is a resounding yes! The Answer, and this lineup of the seventies glam rock legends may have never reached the same levels of commercial success as the groups releases from the seventies heyday, but it is still a very strong release indeed with songs such as X-Ray Specs, Nouveau Rock Star, Natural, Marshall Stack and I Don't Want To Say Goodnight proving that Andy Scott had lost non of his song writing magic.
The remastering brings the songs to life, allowing them to breath and really shine, giving them an almost contemporary edge, although one or two tracks haven't aged as well as others, such as album opener Do As I Say, which has a slightly tired and dated feel to it.
This release comes complete with extensive linear sleeve notes to help fill in the gaps making this a great little album ta boot.
This album is a must have for fans of Sweet (and Andy Scott of course!) but is also a worthy place to start for fans that are just a little curious as to what happened to the Hellraiser's after the seventies Ballroom Blitz!

Rating - 9/10

The Answer - Rise EP (2012)

Genre - Hard Rock / Classic Rock
Label - TAP

Track listing -

01 - Rise (Radio Mix)
02 - Lost
03 - Rise (Acoustic version)
04 - Rise (Full version)

The "Rise 2012 EP" follows last year's release of The Answer third consecutive Top-40 studio album ‘Revival’.After years supporting some of the biggest names in rock ‘n’ roll, The Answer fully deserve their place at the top of the bill as a major headline act.
Interesting to note that the title track from this EP was originally recorded as the title track for their 2006 debut album. Up until now (6 years later) the track remained unreleased."Rise" has been re-surrected, re-written and re-recorded and offered in three different ways.
The tender opening of the Cormac Neeson's lyrics and Paul Mahon's acoustic guitar work is a departure from what we would normally expect from these seasoned hard rockers.
However, the crescendo builds with the introduction of violins then explodes into life as the rhythm section of James Heatley's drums and Micky Water's bass thrust us back in familiar territory of a record that will have you thrashing your hair around wildly with your fists in the air.
The B-side "Lost" is very much a thunderous, riff-heavy offering that we have come to expect from a rock band whose roots are deeply imbedded in electric bluesy hard rock and the extravagant excess of the '70s.

Cormac growls and sneers his way through a story of self-awareness and rediscovery over a thumping rhythm and wailing guitar. This song would sit comfortably on any of the previous three albums and it's almost a shame that it is only appearing as a B-side in this EP.
The remaining songs on the EP are the 'Full long' and the 'Acoustic version' of the title track, the latter giving the listener a mellower ride with the emphasis more on the lyrics which tells a poignant story of loss and recovery.

A great stop gap release whilst the band get album no4 finished off. Well worth checking out!

Rating 10/10

The Answer - Revival

Genre - Hard Rock / Classic Rock

Track listing -

01. Waste Your Tears

02. Use Me
03. Trouble
04. Nowhere Freeway
05. Tornado
06. Vida (I Want You)
07. Caught On The Riverbed
08. Destroy Me
09. New Day Rising
10. Can not Remember, Can not Forget
11. One More Revival
12. Lights Are Down

Irish hard rocker's, The Answer, return with their new album, Revival. Well the good news is that if you're a fan of the band then you're gonna love this album! Hell to be honest if you are a fan of Classic / Hard Rock then you are going to love this album. You've got great classic riffs, solid songs and HUGE chorus's to boot!
The band have been around long enough now to have the confidence to stretch their songwritting tallents a little too and mix the influences within the songs too, which a possitive, with some songs having a very Zepplin feel to them and some having a distinctive southern flavour too. There are out and out rockers like New day Rising, there's moody classy songs like Destroy Me, as well as great balladesque tracks like Lights Are Down and classy tracks like Caught On The Riverbed. This album really does have it all!
 
Revival is a fantastic album from a great band, a record (or should that be CD?) that really delivers!
Very Highly Reconmended!
 
Rating - 10/10