supported European release

From February 1997 they supported the European release of their album with concerts in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy and United Kingdom. Along the way the group had briefly performed alongside Australian band Silverchair , who were on their first European tour. After that tour Shihad relocated to Melbourne as their base by 1998 and negotiated a contract with Warner Music Australasia . At Vancouver ‘s Factory Studios in mid-1999 they recorded their fourth studio album, The General Electric (October 1999) with Canadian producer Garth Richardson ( Rage Against the Machine , Chevelle , Red Hot Chili Peppers ). It is their first number-one album on the New Zealand charts and also reached the top 30 in Australia. Nimmervoll felt they “welded the melody and harmony they had discovered on the self-titled album with multi-tracking experimentation and the hard edge in keeping with [their] live sound.” While Sedate ‘ s Brannavan Gnanalingam wrote, “another classic album – tighter and more focused… [they] felt settled and creative, and experienced one of their most productive periods.”