THE ANSWER - REVIVAL SPINEFARM RECORDS; Review

Taking a step back from the speedy heaviness and occasional acoustic numbers on their previous record, Ireland's The Answer return with more of the modern blues and hard rock that has seen them to success.

Latest offering 'Revival' indeed lives up to its name both musically and lyrically, in the sense of revoking 90's rock Americana with its laidback jaunts and defiant verse.

However, while it underlines some of The Answer's strengths, it also undermines them by not exploring them to their absolute potential.  'Revival' is a well-written album that makes use of the band's influences from classic rock like Dio and Thin Lizzy; at the same time exploiting the American roots of rock music with an emphasis on Southern drawl from frontman Cormac Neeson and blues rhythms by the guitarists.

Album opener 'Waste Your Tears' immediately evokes popular images of the Deep South thanks to such emphasis, though it gets diffused with more modern rock rhythms by later tracks 'Vida (I Want You)' and 'One More Revival'. Repeating the sounds of the past may not be the best choice, though in the case of 'Revival' one wishes that the band did much more of this. Even if only to taste more of The Answer's own take on these sounds, which is where their strengths lie.

- Ann Sulaiman