G.B.H. have been around so long that one of the members actually includes his grandchild in his thank you list. (Actually, I have to admit that's actually really cool, proving you can get old and still play punk rock.) The band has seen many trends come and go during their two plus decades of existence and by 2002, it's obvious the band simply enjoys playing music and is not trying to fit into any particular niche.

G.B.H., who have also been known as Charged G.B.H. at points during their existence, play a metalized sort of punk. This, for historians, was also known as "crossover", but with nearly every "hardcore" band playing Slayer riffs, the term doesn't mean a whole lot anymore. Ha Ha is an earnest record with very good production and a whole bunch of bouncy, catchy songs. G.B.H. hasn't spent all this time together to not know how to write a basically decent punk song. On the flipside, the band isn't exactly kicking down doors either. Rather, Ha Ha sounds like four guys having a good time and in a live setting, one would be hard pressed to not have fun as well. That said, this is one CD that is enjoyable to listen to but not the type of thing that would compell me to play quite often either. It's great to see a group of old guys still playing with enthusiasm and vigor, but I'm not going to offer a recommendation beyond maybe picking up if you find this CD cheap enough.

Review by John Chedsey

Review date: 02/2004

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