Time Signature New horizon...

Genre: hard rock

I have never heard The Answer before, so I do not know if there is significance to the tile "New Horizon"; maybe it signals a change of musical direction. I do not know. What I do know is that on "New Horizon", the Irish band delivers solid hard rock.

Drawing on various types of hard rock, but with a focus on 70s hard rock, The Answer delivers music which is focussed enough not to be confisung, still varies enough not to be boring. The opening track, which the album is named for, has a slightly grungy feel to it and builds on some heavy riffage. While heavier, the dark ballad 'Speak Now' also has some grungy elements. In contrast 'Leave with Nothin'' is a funky and groovy affair with a touch of Led Zeppelin-influence. Drawin on the groove, 'Spectacular' couples the groovy with a 90s alternative rock sensibility. The suicidal 'Baby Kill Me' is another groovy track with funky overtone and a hint of blues rock, which also applies to 'Scream a Louder Love'. Moving into heavier territory, 'Concrete' and 'Burn You Down' combine an influence from Rage Against the Machine with 70s hard rock. As it happens those two tracks are my favorite traks of the album. There are also a couple of 90s rock ballads and some other hard rockers on the album.

As a whole, listening to the album is a positive experience. In particular the groovy elements are one of the attraction points of the album, aong with the twangy production. The 90s rock elements do not appeal to me that much (except those that are more in the vein of RATM), but that's just a matter of taste. There sems to be a ubiquituous influence from Led Zeppeling on the labum, although influences from RATM, Aerosmith, Pearl Jam, and generic grunge-infused 90s hard rock may also be detected on the album.

Fans of grovy hard rock should definitely check this riff-fest out. The album should also appeal to those who enjoyed the 90s hard rock scene.