When Osama bin Laden and his al-Qa‘eda network were out to destroy the foundations of western civilisation, he didn't think about the consequences it might have upon the global music scene. Songs were pulled from radio playlists, album covers redesigned and band names were changed. Spare a thought then for Shihad – now known as Pacifier – who have risen from the ashes and the angry backlash from the media over their former name resembling jihad, to once again rule the world of rock. Mark Rasmussen caught up with bassist Karl and drummer Tom to get their views. 

Mark Rasmussen: There was a lot of controversy surrounding your old name Shihad because it resembled that of jihad. Under some pressure, you relented. What other names did you bandy about before deciding on Pacifier?

Karl: We had plenty of names. I think we would've made a list of about 190 names really – not all of them were serious either. They ranged from Killjoy or The Hads to things like The Taliband to Talimoondo and Toogood.

Tom: That was the band's favourite.

Karl: Even Jonny and The Toogoods. The list was endless. Pacifier was a name we had since the beginning of the name change debacle and it sort of stuck.

MR: What rumours did you guys hear about yourselves during the name change?

Tom: The biggest one and it's still going, is that the record company told us to change it and that's why we were doing it. That was a component but a lot of it had to do with going out in LA and kinda having people say "So you guys are in a band, what's your name?" “Shihad.” "Shihad, as in Jihad?" So it's not like the record company were telling us to do it, no, it's just that there's this guy who wants to f@#king kill me at the video store because I'm in this band called Shihad. So it was pretty self evident really.

Karl: It would've also meant that we wouldn't be able to go on too many tours with other bands. The only other band we would've been able to tour with would have been Anthrax (hahaha).

MR: Despite the backlash with the old name, how are you being received by the Americans?

Tom: It's a very early thing, the whole American thing and we've only really just moved over there and got ourselves comfortable. We've finished recording the album and so we're only just now starting to play live. So in terms of how Americans are receiving us like the public, that's only just starting now. Obviously very well so far but it's in Los Angeles and it's very industry based and that kind of thing, so it's not a real perspective right now. But the people who do see us and come to the shows are really really excited.

MR: After Jon's outburst where he said, "That should shut the f@#kers up," in reference to the name change, it sounds like you were under a little bit of pressure. Were there some tense moments while recording 'Pacifier'?

Tom: Well it was an interesting period when we first had to change the name with one half of the band saying "We've got to change the name" and the other half going "No we don't" but that was only for about six weeks.

Karl: It was six weeks of actually writing and making an album that half the band felt differently to the other half.

Tom: Change is a difficult thing at any stage and people react to change differently. Some people handle certain things really well and may not handle others. But changing a name for a group of four very individual people, is a really important thing and you've just got to be careful. It can and does create tension.

MR: What can we expect from the new album, when it's released in September?

Tom: 'Comfort Me' is one end of the album that is taken care of with the big riff action. The big riffs are essentially our trade mark and there's plenty of them. The other end of it is obviously like the song 'Imaginary’, which may not be on the album but is kind of at the other end. We actually have like three kind of balladesque type mellow songs that are on 'Pacifier'. It's about colour. It's about putting forth the reach of the album, where it kind of goes from here to there.

MR: What gear are you currently using on this brief two stop tour?

Karl: One Epiphone Gold bass (No 1), one Shecter bass (Fire up) and some picks.

Tom: Drum Workshop Kit, 12", 14" & 16" F.A.S.T. toms, 24" Kick drum, 5"x14" Maple Snare drum, Sabian Cymbals – 18" Crashes x 2, 20" China, 14" hats, 21" Ride.

MR: What instruments did you use this time around in the studio for ‘Pacifier’ that you haven't previously?

Karl: The Shecter bass is new. I also used a Marshall guitar head.

Tom: 'The Terminator’. 61/2"x14" Bell brass snare (Tama). It was used on 'Nevermind' by Nirvana.

MR: How do you get the best sound from your equipment?

Karl: Turn it up.

Tom: Play properly. Most of 'the sound' is in the way you play.