| Review of "The General Electric", Juice Magazine, November 1999 |
| SHIHAD The General Electric (Warners) 7 out of 10 Shihad have long been afflicted with one of the ailments common to rock bands. They've long been one of the Southern Hemisphere's most intense, energetic and jaw-dropping powerful groups, but when it comes to making albums, they've always delivered watered-down replicas. It's for this reason that despite extensive touring over their 10 year career, New Zealand's best hard rock outfit have had to be satisfied with local hero status. Upon hearing "My Mind's Sedate" - the first track and single off their fourth album, The General Electric- you quickly realise something has clicked. A flat -out burst of aggression which wastes no time getting to its chant-along chorus, blasts out of your stereo for another two minutes and then makes a quick getaway. Short, sharp, battering- it is everything a punk rock anthem should be. The truth is, nothing else on The General Electric comes close to its intensity, but that's not to say what follows is filler. With whisper/shout vocals and funked up riffing, the title track comes like Rage Against the Machine minus Zac De La Rocha's American whine. Carried over from last year's Magoo produced Blue Light Disco EP, "Wait and See" still hits home. And "The Metal Song" lives up to its name with a mammoth rhythm assault before mellowing into a slow-motion chorus. Shihad may not have made the best heavy rock album of the year, but if you omit the weaker moments of The General Electric ("Life in Cars, "Spacing"), you may just have the best hard rockin' mini album you're likely to find for a while. Review by Benedict Watts |