Ten albums into their career and the Answer are about to release what is possibly their most ambitious and creative record to date.
Solas is a record that sees the band embrace their own Celtic folk culture and fuse it with their usual trademark guitar-fuelled rock anthems.
The epic ‘Battle Cry (Seo An La Mo Laoch Mo Ghra)’ is a fine example of what the band do best in writing a catchy anthem style song that uses a clever mix of acoustic guitars and Celtic chants to deliver what is surely going to massive fan favourite track.
Similarly ‘Thief Of Light’ is drenched in spine-tingling Celtic choral harmonies.
The hypnotic ‘Being Begotten’ also shows the band’s love of the blues with its brooding rhythm and subtle guitar.
A highlight on the album is ‘Demon Driven Man’ with its mix of acoustic guitar, mandolin and electric guitar along with a pounding drum beat and the occasional high pitched scream from lead singer Cormac Neeson. This one screams classic 1970s rock at the listener.
Overall Solas is a strong record that sees the band re-invent themselves after difficult times and they deserve full marks for what they have delivered. Full of intricate acoustic work, it’s experimental to the point that it won’t alienate existing fans and may even find the band a new audience along the way.
Our only fault with the record lies with the production. The record sounds a little too crisp and sharp, and because of this it loses feeling. The title track ‘Solas’ should be a brooding tribute to Zeppelin’s ‘Kashmir’, but it sounds more like U2’s ‘Bullet The Blue Sky’.
Played live these songs will be awesome and we definitely recommend checking out any album launch the band has planned to showcase this fine material.
Solas is released on the 28th October 2016 on Napalm Records.