EP Review: Mr Shiraz – “21 Grams”
Winners of best single for No Prophecy in the 2014 Pure Rawk Awards, it’s fair to say we’re fans of Mr Shiraz here at Pure Rawk. The Huddersfield groove-punks seem to go from strength to strength, and their latest EP 21 Grams contains some of their strongest material to date.
Across these 6 tracks Mr Shiraz combine elements of punk, metal, funk and classic rock – it’s ambitious, but for the most part works exceptionally well. Their sense of imagination and humour is still very much present too, just look at the movie reference song titles.
They’ve done a cracking job of capturing their live energy on this record, the production is excellent and the intensity of punkier tracks like Bill & Ted and Nobody Puts Swayze In The Corner is palpable. Mikey’s unique and versatile vocals are fully utilised throughout, and in sing-along choruses he really comes into his own, like in opener 21 Grams. Trust me, that one will be stuck in your head for days.
Another highlight is Breakfast Club – a bass led, angsty, punk number which suits the classic John Hughes film perfectly. The bass solos are great, as in fact is the instrumentation throughout this record. They’ve even managed to nail the ‘classic rock guitar solo’ sound.
This EP isn’t perfect though. I’m not blown away by Gleaming The Cube, it’s just lacking a big chorus or riff to really get me invested. The same applies to Cusack – a track which heads into Faith No More territory. Neither of these tracks are bad, but they’re just not up to the sky-high standard of the other four.
Overall a really strong showing from one of Huddersfield's finest. It's ambitious, if a little inconsistent, but you cannot deny the sheer quality of some of these tracks. If you're a fan of The Bronx, RATM or Faith No More, this really is a no-brainer. Check it out.
