Shihad is a four-piece band from New Zealand, comprised of Jon Toogood (guitar/vocals), Tom Larkin (drums), Karl Kippenberger (bass) and Phil Knight (guitar). Its style is best described as "hard rock", although it were described as "metal" in its formative years. Shihad was formed in 1988 in Wellington, New Zealand. It was 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.