Album Review: Shihad - The Meanest Hits

It's difficult to fathom the youngsters who penned what frontman Jon Toogood dubbed “fucking terrible” lyrics on the Stephen King-inspired It (from thrash metal-oriented debut EP Devolve) during a recent Street Press Australia interview. Regardless, 20-plus years, countless gargantuan riffs and shirts removed since, Shihad remain a live powerhouse. This two-disc, 38-song collection is testament to a career of several phases, but one that has always sounded distinctively them.

Completists will salivate at the aforementioned, long out-of-print track's inclusion, Shihad doing their best Metallica/Dark Angel impersonation. Conversely, there's solid new single Right Outta Nowhere. That's the only new content, the remainder covering their eight studio albums, from the industrialised, Jaz Coleman-produced crunch of Churn onwards. 1998's Blue Light Disco EP is even acknowledged. Newer fans missing a few records or those whose familiarity only reaches as far as one of their blistering Big Day Out sets will find this worthwhile. The track listing's rapid jumping between releases works, offering tastes of their career's various facets. Anthemic Home Again was a no-brainer to begin proceedings. Career standout You Again boasts a chunky, glorious “fuck you” riff the band has never bettered, while The General Electric is bigger than The Avengers' opening weekend. Their knack for crafting incisive melodies is readily apparent on material culled from the self-titled Pacifier album. Over-produced and thus somewhat neutering their visceral appeal, it still features strong songs unfairly overlooked during the name change kerfuffle.

For the uninitiated, such an exhaustive set may overwhelm, but offers much value. Live cuts would have been welcomed, but informative liner notes complete an otherwise comprehensive package.