"After the release of our debut 'Rise' in 2006, we hit the ground running for ten years. Produced six studio albums and were basically always on tour worldwide," guitarist Paul Mahon succinctly summarizes the career to date of the Northern Irish classic rockers The Answer, which he founded in 2000. On their penultimate album, "Solas" (2016), it seemed that the band had somewhat freed itself from its blues and classic rock roots. "Yeah, at that point it felt right. You're probably not really proud of an atmospheric album like that for another 20 years." However, it didn't fit the usual style of the Northern Irish, who have an irresistible frontman in singer Cormac Neeson, who always tries to carry the audience along - and it didn't sit right with Rory Gallagher fan Mahon, either.
You're treading water. Live they are a power. But they always just scratch past the "really big" album. Though many of the twelve new tracks of the Northern Ireland spread a murderous joy, there's still some air up there.
