Listening to The Answer’s debut ten years on, it remains one of the great mysteries of modern rock music why this band didn’t become instantly and inordinately huge on the basis of these strident, scintillating songs. The Irishmen have released some similarly sturdy albums since, of course, but Rise exudes a unique, wide-eyed magic that propels the thunderous and memorable likes of Under The Sky, Too Far Gone and the immaculate Come Follow Me along.
Newly remastered, Rise still sounds like the first album by a band destined for greatness, even if The Answer have had to make do with being merely great. A bonus disc containing numerous demos, rarities and a new, slightly peculiar mix of Under The Sky makes this a more than worthy reissue.
Rise towers over most comparable 21st-century rock albums and, as a result, both album and its creators deserve to be celebrated with rather more vigour than has latterly been the case.
