After a stressful period navigating stormy waters (caused by record label/management difficulties), The Answer are back. The good news is that their latest album sees them shaping up like real heavyweight contenders. Recorded in Spain, the Co. Down classic rockers’ fifth album in nine years is their best yet. Boasting a satisfyingly crunchy sound courtesy of mixer Chris Sheldon who also produced Therapy?’s landmark Troublegum, Raise A Little Hell is as incendiary as the title suggests.
Leather-lunged frontman Cormac Neeson in particular, is in superb form. The likes of ‘Long Live The Renegades’ and ‘Red’ confirm him as one of the great Irish rock singers: his high-pitched performances full of power and emotion. There are also enjoyable detours in the form of the country-tinged ‘Cigarettes & Regret’ and the boisterous ‘Whiplash,’ which tips its hat to Clutch’s ‘Burning Beard’. Even better is ‘Aristocrat,’ a ‘70s-era Aerosmith-steeped offering with a groovy riff and jaw dropping mouth organ and guitar solo. By the sound of things, Ireland’s hardest working band are ready for the big break-through...

Key Track - 'Aristocrat'