It comes as no surprise to hear that The Answer are supporting AC/DC on their current world tour; the Downpatrick band try so hard to emulate their Aussie idols that it’s remarkable that there’s no token ‘Back In Black’ cover on their second studio album. Yet to mark The Answer down as mere copyists is to do them something of a disservice – the rock outfit have achieved enormous success since their 2006 debut, selling 100,000 copies worldwide and picking up celebrity fans like Jimmy Page along the way.
In the finest classic rock tradition, Everyday Demons displays plenty of the quartet’s most obvious influences, albeit in the most obvious fashion. True, the mark of Brian Johnson is blatantly seared on every song thanks to Cormac Neeson’s strangled falsetto – but also scattered throughout this 11-song collection are nods to Thin Lizzy (‘Tonight’), Lynyrd Skynyrd (‘On And On)’ and Deep Purple (‘Evil Man’), while the obligatory big ballad comes in the shape of the Guns N’ Roses-like ‘Comfort Zone’.
By its very nature, classic rock is a derivative genre, and admittedly, The Answer excel at their imitative musings – particularly with their often unintentionally hilarious lyrics (“Hey doctor, take a hammer to my broken heart”). and the unrelenting shoulder-shaking, foot-stomping swagger of most tracks. While to these ears it's tedious stuff, Everyday Demons might just be the album that cracks America for them.
Key Track: 'Pride'