Shihad

Shihad are a four-piece rock group from Wellington, New Zealand, active from 1988. The line-up consists of Jon Toogood on guitar and vocals, Tom Larkin on drums, Karl Kippenberger on bass and Phil Knight on guitar. Their sound sits across alternative rock, hard rock and related heavier styles, including alternative metal, industrial metal, industrial rock and noise rock.

Name change and identity

The band performs under the name Shihad, but is known to have used Pacifier for a period between 2002 and 2004 when it was attempting to enter the US market. The change is linked to concerns from the band’s label that “Shihad” sounded too close to the Arabic word “jihad”.

Recorded output

Shihad’s discography includes a long run of albums and EPs spanning the 1990s, 2000s and 2020s. Key releases include the

Devolve

EP,

Churn

,

Killjoy

, the self-titled

Shihad

,

Blue Light Disco

EP,

The General Electric

,

Alive

EP,

Love is the New Hate

,

Beautiful Machine

,

Ignite

,

FVEY

and

Old Gods

. While using the Pacifier name, the group also releases

Pacifier

and

Live

.

Live reputation

The group tours with and supports acts including Faith No More, Filter, Motörhead, Metallica, AC/DC, Ash, Silverchair and Fu Manchu. It has a reputation for energetic and powerful live performances, and builds a large following in New Zealand and Australia, although it does not achieve major mainstream success outside Australasia.