The question must be asked: Why the heck did Ghoti Hook put out the best record of their life, and then decide to break up? Baffling. Ghoti Hook, obviously, has gone through changes. The past behind, the band is now a trio-comprised of Joel Bell (v/g), Jamie Tolosa (b), and Adam Neubauer (d) -- on the Cali uber-indie Velvet Blue. Perhaps (it's always dangerous to speak for a band, thus I say "Perhaps" rather than "Apparently"), being on an indie freed the band (from a pop-punk past?) to make a filthy rock and roll record. One shouldn't be too surprised with the sound; there were hints on Two Years to Never, but not to this extent. The riffs are thick and simple and raunchy. Each song exhibits their spin on that fiery 70s punk/metal fusion of, what I like to call, Animal Rock. "Drop Dead" opens the record with a huge riff and "HOO-YA!!" from Bell, and from that point the song is just sick (a good sick, naturally). Ghoti Hook utilizes heavy riffing a la Sweden's Hellacopters (see the sludgy riffing in "Darling") while exhibiting a melodic sensibility like Electric/Sonic Temple-era the Cult ("Let It Ride," "Ghost in the Graveyard"). The vocals are richer and a bit rawer, with very little screaming (oh, the cliche of screaming), furthering the melodic direction of the band. The last two tracks are the closest you will get to the pop-punk most listeners associate with the band, except the songs rock way too hard, and the riffs are too dirty to be anywhere near pop-punk. Now, Ghoti Hook, this is one freaking swan song!
Editors' ratings - Doug 3/5, Jason 3/5
Other coverage for this album
Decapolis March 2002Reviewed by ConradAs you know by now Ghoti Hook is calling it quits pretty soon but they left us with a gem of what could have been. The 6 song EP released by Velvet Blue Music picks up where their last release, Two Years To Never, left off. If that sentence bothers you and were hoping for another Sumo, sorry, you're not going to be interested in this EP. This EP is in your face Rock and Roll with no gimmicks…The Phantom Tollbooth 2002Reviewed by John WilsonPopular punk band Ghoti Hook has ended a nine-year run by releasing a 6-song self-titled EP that is not only their best album, but is one of the best full-on rock albums in the market. Ghoti Hook has matured into a straight-ahead "old-school," three-piece rock and roll band. The album seethes with energy, recalling a time when rock was played just for the fun of it. Expanding on influences from…Opus 2002Reviewed by Jeffrey EllingerDear Adam Neubauer, Joel Bell, and Jamie Tolosa -- I miss you guys. Technically we never met. But our connection goes deeper than the short, meaningless fan exchange in which the pathetic admirer clamors desperately for attention from a band for a paltry couple of seconds (thankfully, I have never participated in such a ghastly act) and asks queries like "Do you like stuff?" or even worse "How…Similar sounding releases
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