The General Electric

Mid after mid

Jihadis if they fought for shit music:

Cool discovery. Bever heard of this band, but liked them very much

This is some really good rock that surprised me as I listened to it without knowing anything about it except the cover and name. I loved lots of this and am glad to see that we're getting a little something from New Zealand!

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: My mind’s sedate, Just like everybody else

Shihad was big in Australia when I was a teenager. They'd had a few albums as something almost like a thrash metal band, but were an Incubus knockoff by the late 90s. After 9/11 they changed their name to pacifier. It was a big deal at the time, we all thought they were total pussies for doing it. They changed it back after a while, but everyone had stopped caring about them by that point. None of those Aussie/Kiwi bands lasted more than a few years, anyway - these guys, Grinspoon, Jebediah, Regurgitator etc. Still fun to hear most of this album for the first time in 20 years or so though. Pacifier (the song) still gets a bit of radio play, but the rest is kinda forgotten these days. 4/5.

Alternative rock, industrial rock, hard rock. Entretenido. Un 4, venga.

Part of the DNA of my kiwi adolescence, Shihad are NZ's best hard rock band. On this album they combine battering ram rhythm section intensity with super hooky melodic vocals. Fuck yeah!

Reminds me a lot of a bunch of (semi-) lost British rock bands of the same sort of time, such a 3 Colours Red, A, King Adora, My Vitriol, Dark Star and, on a couple of tracks, Mogwai. I love (or loved) most of those bands though, so i really enjoyed this. Not sure it's an essential inclusion in a future edition, but for me as a Scottish 90s kid, it was one I really enjoyed

Solid hardcore rock. Not sure it's all that much beyond that, but I enjoyed it, and it facilitated the slog through another workout.

It’s nice to know that people in New Zealand can write generic rock songs too

Alt rock you listen to with a closed fist

The music is pretty fun on this album, but the lyrics are not great and really start to grate on me from time to time. I don't think this album is bad, but if the lead songwriter dug a bit deeper with the lyrics, I think this album could be really cool 3/5

The General Electric is the fourth studio album by Shihad. Nice rock songs sometimes reminding me of Faith No More in the heavier and bombastic parts. Good to have another New Zealand entry (as far as I can remember Crowded House is the only other one).

Starts off with some solid energy and genuine passion, but quickly devolves into standard late-90s rock without much new to say. There were moments that reminded me of Incubus or Deftones, but more in an emulatory sense than the band trying to make their own artistic statement.

Dips its toes into a pretty cool industrial sound, then goes "yikes ouchie ouchie too hot" and decides to rather stay in generic 90s hard rock territory.

This is more of that rock that is so very 90s its almost painful. very pop commercial stuff. Sport And Religion give big U2 vibes. The Metal Song is very much not fucking metal. That's a docked star.

Oh lawdy, it’s been two days and I can’t remember a thing about it.