modern rock

Shihad are a four-piece band from New Zealand, comprising Jon Toogood (guitar/vocals), Tom Larkin (drums), Karl Kippenberger (bass) and Phil Knight (guitar). Their style is best described as "hard rock", although they were described as "metal" in their formative years. Shihad were formed in 1988 in Wellington, New Zealand. They were briefly known between 2002-2004 as "Pacifier". During this time the band was attempting to break into the US market and it was decided that Shihad sounded too much like the arabic word 'jihad', thus the name change. Their major albums and EPs include:

Soundgarden is a Seattle rock band who helped to define the sound that came to be called grunge. Despite starting years earlier, and having a sound that more closely resembled Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin than their contemporaries, they are usually considered one of the "big four" of the '90s Seattle grunge bands, along with Alice in Chains, Nirvana and Pearl Jam. The band was formed in 1984 by Chris Cornell (vocals, and originally drums) and Hiro Yamamoto (bass), to be joined later by Kim Thayil (guitar) and Scott Sundquist (drums).

"...Their music is raw and modern; the lyrics are highly relevant;
sure to inspire positive change in anyone who cares to listen.
The songs deal with everything from perseverance in the face of resistance,
to scars caused by sexual abuse. The songs are often pessimistic and optimistic
at the same time. The concept being that; on one side of life there is pain,
but on the other side there’s healing. Scars may remain,
but they need not control our lives..." Musical influences: Rage Against the Machine, Project 86, dc talk, Sevendust,