Review Summary: Providing they aren’t looking for originality, there should be plenty for fans of seventies hard rock to enjoy here.
It’s not all that long since The Answer, a then new band from Northern Ireland were hailed as the future of rock music. In reality, they were quite the opposite, because as far as nostalgic bands go, you won’t find many better The Answer to take you back to the seventies. Unsurprisingly, the initial hype never really caught on, and the bands debut album came and went without a lot of fuss, as most likely will this follow up,
Everyday Demons.
The fact that The Answer sound basically like a AC/DC and Led Zeppelin tribute band should not completely turn you off, however, as there is plenty for fans of old school rock and metal to enjoy here, providing that you aren’t expecting originality. Their music may not be the type that will drastically increase your heart rate or top album of the year lists, but there is certainly a place for it in the modern market. This has been proven in recent years by the success of similarly nostalgic bands such as Wolfmother and Airbourne.
The album begins, as you would expect with a bang. Opener
Demon Eyes basically outlines everything that the Answer are about, with high pitched vocals, crunchy guitars and fairly energetic riffs. Unfortunately, it also displays their main drawback, which as previously mentioned is their total lack of new ideas. Singer Cormac Neeson’s voice bears an uncanny resemblence to the likes of Robert Plant, Brian Johnson et al, and the riffs, while not bad aren’t anything special, and begin to sound similar very quickly. In fact, the same can be said for almost every song here.
This repetitiveness, along with a lack of variation means that the majority of the album sounds like one continuous slab of music. To be fair, they do have a stab at a slower ballad with the ironically titled
Comfort Zone, but unfortunately it is one of the weaker tracks here. What they do best is the straight up rock formula they keep to for the majority of the album, and while this almost condemns them as one trick ponies, it should easily be enough to keep their existing fans pleased.
Unfortunately, while the album is solid throughout, there aren’t really any standout moments, or potential singles that are likely to attract new fans. Still, all of the songs here, are fun, upbeat and catchy to an extent, and though most are rather unmemorable, they are all very listenable on their own; this effectiveness just seems to get lost in the context of the album. Probably the best example of this is
Walkin' Mat, a perfectly good song that just comes and goes without making any impact.
Just like their debut, with which it bears a lot in common,
Everyday Demons is almost entierly irrelevant, having arrived about thirty years too late. However, it should not be ignored simply because of this. What you see is what you get with the Answer, and the formula that has worked so far for them is unlikely to see change anytime soon. This was never going to be remembered as a classic, era defining moment, but for what it is, it’s a good album.
