Is Northern Ireland the next hot spot for classic hard rock? You want the answer? Well you’ve got it. The CD is called ‘RISE’ and the name of the band is THE ANSWER.

The band is Corman Neeson on throaty vocals, Paul Mahon with the six- string attack and the heavy duty rhythm section of bassist Michael Waters and time keeper James Heatley banging the skins. No question about it, these four young lads attack with guns a blazin’. Loaded with a ton of riffage and ear piercing guitar solos that stick you like a dagger, right through your very speakers. Whether you’re old enough to remember Free or Led Zeppelin, or middle aged enough to remember The Black Crowes or Tesla, these Irish hipsters will bring to mind newer bands of the classic guitar rock movement like, Silvertide or The Golden Gods. The Answer kicks it up a notch and rocks out with the best.

The CD opens with a blistering guitar solo not unlike Giant or Ten and goes into a bluesy riff called “Under The Sky”. Right away you notice the crisp clear production. It’s very loud with a lot of high end and it’s just what the doctor ordered. By the time the songs over, the damage is done and the second song “Never Too Late” opens with another hot solo. The soulful Steve Marriott (Humble Pie) styled vocals are backed by chunky rhythm guitar on this funky little number. The Humble Pie influence is also heard on “Sometimes Your Love”. The song “Memphis Water” is a slow blues jam, that has these young Irish rockers with their feet stuck in some Mississippi mud. It picks up the pace just as the outstanding guitar solo is seeping through. There’s more slow blues called “Preachin’”, that gets slippery with some mean slide guitar. It’s obviously a tale about a Baptist preacher, backed with a Bo Diddley beat and hand claps. The slide continues on the bass driven “Into The Gutter”. It’s not all just balls out rock, there’s also a couple of acoustic based numbers like “Be What You Want”, a song with a hint of Hammond B3 organ and Mr.Big. The other acoustic song is the closer ”Always On My Mind” with it’s softer lead vocals and those ever present backing vocals. It’s a nice closing, to one hell of a debut. If 70’s arena rock with bluesy vocals and loud guitars were classic thirty years ago, then these guys are keeping it alive to this day. I was looking for a CD to get me through the summer and The Answer rise to the occasion.