A lot of bands have gotten flack recently for being part of the musical revival of the 1970′s and 1980′s sounds. The Killers and now-defunct Wolfmother are two that come to mind. I personally like both of them, although I won’t say I can’t see why people would say they are lifting the styles of older bands in their music.

The Answer, from Newcastle, Ireland, has received rave reviews overseas, but I feel as though most people still don’t know who they are in the United States. They have played a show with Deep Purple in London, and opened for Whitesnake on their UK tour (not sure if that is a good thing or not…).

The most exposure the band’s had in the United States was opening for AC/DC on their Black Ice World Tour; which isn’t shabby by any means but I know personally that before seeing them at that concert I had no idea who they were.

Their debut album, Rise, was released June 26, 2006.

‘No Questions Asked’ and ‘Under the Sky’ are two of the best songs on Rise, both very catchy and showing off some very intense guitar work.

The latter, ‘Under the Sky’, is about realizing that two people are just not the same, a change from what was originally believed to be true:

It takes alot of my faith believin’ every day we are one and the same
Is it plain that the damage is done
Is it done ?
Knock me out cold clear my head take me back to the start
Tell me everything is over and I don’t have the heartache too late
All my dreams are passing me by
There they go

They released the Never Too Late EP in 2008, after striking a deal with The End Records to bring them US exposure.

On songs such as ‘Highwater and Hell’, from the Never Too Late EP (and also appearing on Everyday Demons), the bass line drives the song more so than the guitar riffs. The tune also channels some serious Led Zeppelin action.

Be What You Want, also from Rise, is a ballad-esque song about bucking the trends and believing in yourself. It’s a nice change of pace from the other songs, and pretty well done. Not overly preachy, and not too corny, as some bands’ ballads seem to be:

Hard times too much confusion
Gotta find some conclusion, this world of confusion
A long lost line of defenses I’ll blow them
Away, Yep I’ll blow them away

Rise was recently re-released as a Special Edition, including a second disc with B-Sides and a cover of Aerosmith’s ‘Sweet Emotion.’

Everyday Demons, the band’s latest effort released on March 2, 2009, shows a band that has truly found its niche. Check out the video below for ‘On and On’ and you will see what I mean.

The bottom line here is that, as the saying goes, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If The Answer want to sound like Led Zeppelin, is that really all that bad? If they were going to copy off someone, picking arguably the greatest rock band of all time wasn’t a bad place to start…

Click the album artwork below to purchase songs or the entire album Everyday Demons from iTunes:

Everyday Demons

Or, if you prefer to shop at Amazon, check out their discography in CD and MP3 format: The Answer

The Answer – On and On

All photos, music, and videos copyright of their respective owners. Used only for promotional purposes and to gain notoriety for the artists featured.

07282009