The Oxford quartet prove Gene Simmons wrong on their second EP
Rock 'n' roll is dead. The debate is as old as the rock stars that spout it. The riff is dying out, record sales are plummeting, it's time we buried the genre for good. Or so they say.
Not if The Haze have anything to do with it. With a bio that simply states they want to 'bring guitar music back to the charts' the Oxford quartet sound as though they might just be the saviours of rock 'n' roll, and their second EP, Fight To Pay the Holy Grail. Maybe not, but either way their going to have a bloody good time whilst they're at it.
The title track doesn't hold back, kicking off with an AC/DC indebt riff turned up to 11, before frontman Josh Rawle's cock rock-esque snarl of 'Alright', it's evident that they've taken more than a few cues from from rock 'n' roll's greats.
What's Your Name suggests that said cues arn't just music-related, with Rawle's whiskey-denched vocals sounding as though he's had one too many Jack Daniels.
Look Alive proves there's more life left in the riff just yet, recalling The Rolling Stones and The Black Keys with it's rollicking blues licks.
Ride is the highlight though, it's arena-baiting chorus of 'Ride on my lover/Ride on by' tailor made to be screamed back in their faces by thousands of crazed fans at a Knebworth like peak.
Fight To Pay isn't game changing, but that's not what the band set out to do. Instead it reaffirms rock 'n' roll's status as one of music's most important genres, with a history of selling out stadiums, breaking records and having a good time, and a future that's set to do the same.
