:: Shihad - Ignite

Shihad

New Zealand founded/Melbourne based outfit Shihad have never been what you could call a predictable band in any shape or form, with each any every one of their seven albums (Including their 2002 effort, where the band changed their name briefly to Pacifer) revealing a completely new sound and direction to its predecessor. Having explored a more pop/mainstream direction on their last release (2008’s ‘Beautiful Machine’), it wasn’t all that hard to predict that the four piece act would return with something far heavier on their returning effort ‘Ignite’.

But while there’s no denying that the overall feel of ‘Ignite’ is heavier and darker to that heard on ‘Beautiful Machine’, it’s certainly nowhere near as metallic and driven as 2005’s ‘Love Is The New Hate’. Instead, ‘Ignite’ seems to sit somewhere between the two, which manages to produce both its fair share of positives and negatives. In terms of opening tracks, ‘The Final Year Of The Universe’ is something a little different from the norm for the band, with its slower pacing and melodic overtones giving the song a distinctive epic-like feel, without giving in to anything that sounds too heavy or over the top. Overall, it’s certainly one of the highlights on the album. The single/promotional video clip ‘Lead Or Follow’ is a driving rock number that boasts plenty of power and rhythm in the riff department and harmonies in the vocal department to match, while the lead single/promotional video clip ‘Sleepeater’ is a deceptively heavy rocker with an infectious chorus.

The downright menacing ‘I’m A Void’ flirts with industrialised sound elements that brings to mind latter Nine Inch Nails, and could have easily slotted on ‘Love Is The New Hate’ without sounding out of place, while the energetic ‘Engage’, the relentless drive of ‘Cold Heart’, ‘In The Future’ and the faster/punk edged ‘Nemesis (Dark Star)’ maintain a consistent level of aggression through the album. But while the overall direction of the album is geared towards the more guitar driven and rockier side of things, Shihad haven’t completely disregarded every aspect of the sound that appeared on ‘Beautiful Machine’, with the moody keyboard enhanced title track ‘Ignite’ and ‘This Lonely Fire’ drifting more towards the pop side of the band’s sound.

In terms of bonus material on the limited edition version, there’s a definite feel that the additional extras miss more than hit. ‘Beatlab’ is an impressive song, and one that I personally thought should have been included on the album. Unfortunately, the four remixes will only be of interest to those who don’t mind dance floor remixes. I’ve never been a huge fan of remixes, as they rarely improve upon the original. And after giving them a run through, I can safely say that these remixes certainly haven’t changed my opinion one bit.

Putting aside the mixed bag of bonus material, the album itself is good, but at the same time disappointing. There’s a definite feeling that Shihad seemed a little uncertain whether to really crank out the guitars and totally forsake keyboards altogether, or whether they should integrate their pop sensibilities into more guitar driven terrain this time around. And it’s that hesitation that I believe invariably creates an inconsistency that seems to run throughout the album. While there’s no denying that ‘Ignite’ is a strong album, it certainly doesn’t quite qualify as one of their best. Good, but a little underwhelming given my expectations.