Shihad

Here we begin the trail of straightforward rock music that Shihad would stay on for the majority of their career. This self-titled release is much more mellow and alternative sounding, yet still has that depressive tone thanks in part to the album being dedicated to a passing of their manager / friend. You can hear the sadness in the music, no matter how poppy or joyous it sounds.

Toogood drops the distortion found on the first two albums and goes straight for the post-grunge style, which isn’t necessarily bad in this case and works wonders with the catchy leadwork. He sounds less like he’s imitating impulsive singers like Richard Patrick, Trent Reznor, and Devin Townsend, which got annoying on previous releases. Here he’s firmer in his approach and gives off more melody companionship to the lead – a better tactic in my book. This does lead to more pop oriented tracks, but they’re delightful to hear and are executed with more leadwork catchiness than most rock singles (“A Day Away,” “Home Again”). In another way they enhance this technique by retaining that chill mood, carrying on that perception of tropical beaches and orangutan hitmen. The most mellowed out is the bass: jazzy, laidback, cooled down, deep like the ocean, and easily heard in the mix – a great asset when utilized properly.

You have a great variety on here, too: poppy tracks, those breezy fast tracks, angry tracks, 80s reminiscent tracks (“Outta Phase”), and even a couple romantic ones. “Missionary” to me is the only out of place song, with an annoying intro and really crappy production and flow (for an acoustic track). Thankfully it’s less than two minutes and doesn’t hurt the overall appeal too much.

Ultimately I’m reminded of those high school movies because this album sounds so chill and awesome. It’s a rock album no less, but I dig the sound and would recommend it to guys looking for some rock in their metal library.