Formed in New Zealand in 1988, four-piece Shihad have, over the space of eight studio albums and a career spanning nearly twenty-five years, excelled at a highly propulsive and affecting take on straight up, no bullshit hard rock with a personality all its own, the type AC/DC used to make when Bon Scott was still with them.
This collection sees the band through the many stages of their long and fruitful career, including the somewhat misjudged name change to Pacifier when they were trying to crack the American market.
Remember, this was in a post-9/11 world where the name of the band sounded more than a little bit too close to ‘jihad’. One can see why they did it, but it did alienate local fans somewhat, hence reverting back to their original name.
The Meanest Hits includes material from all of the band’s studio releases. Featuring stomping tracks like “La La Land”, “Wait And See”, “Gimme Gimme” and the still astounding “My Mind Sedate”, this double CD release is a highly comprehensive overview of the band’s history and their stunning contribution to the musical landscape of both Australia and New Zealand.
For fans, The Meanest Hits is an absolute must in the collection. For newcomers, this is a truly outstanding introduction to one of the finest rock bands the Antipodean part of the world has produced in the past two decades.
-Neil Evans
