Representative Albums: "Clay Years 1981-1984," "Oh No It's G.B.H.," "Punk Rock Hits"
Representative Songs: "Sick Boy," "City Baby Attacked by Rats," "No Survivors"
Biography
The influential, long-lived punk metal band G.B.H. rose to prominence in England during the early '80s when hardcore punk began inching toward heavy metal. Originally formed in 1979 in Birmingham, England, G.B.H. initially called itself Charged G.B.H. to differentiate itself from another band called G.B.H. The leather-clad, hair-spiked foursome began recording for the Clay label in the early '80s, releasing some singles before unleashing their influential debut album, City Baby Attacked by Rats, in 1982. City Baby's Revenge followed two years later in 1984, by which time the band had become one of the leading punk metal bands of the era. G.B.H. continued recording and releasing albums throughout the '80s, though their influence progressively waned as a new wave of bands such as Slayer emerged and pushed punk metal toward what became known as speed metal and, in turn, thrash. Despite its waning influence, G.B.H. soldiered on, recording new albums throughout the '90s and into the next millennium. By this point the band was often cited by both metal and punk bands as a huge influence, and a renewed interest in G.B.H.'s early recordings resulted. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
Colin Abrahall
Ross Lomas
Colin "Jock" Blyth
Scott Preece
Former members
Sean McCarthy
Andrew Williams
Kai Reder
Joseph Montero
Charged GBH are an Englishhardcore punk band, formed in 1978 by vocalist Collin Abrahall and guitarist Colin "Jock" Blyth. GBH were early pioneers of English hardcore, often nicknamed "UK82", along with Discharge, Broken Bones, The Exploited, and The Varukers. They have gone on to influence several punk rock musicians; Lars Frederiksen from Rancid says in the song 'You Want It, You Got It': "I heard G.B.H, I made a decision, punk rock is my religion."
Charged GBH embarked on several English and mainland US tours during the early 1980s, including several gigs at the 100 Club. 1982 saw GBH's first LP, City Baby Attacked By Rats. Lyrically, the album dealt with criticism of British and European culture, violence, morbidity (especially in reference to the song "Passenger On The Menu", which describes in graphic detail the experiences of the passengers on the Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571), atheism, nihilism and humour. Musically, the album was loud and fast, with few songs exceeding three minutes. In 1983 the band changed their name to GBH (grievous bodily harm).[citation needed]
Unlike some early punk bands that evolved towards other styles, GBH have stayed fairly faithful to their original UK82 sound in subsequent releases. However, the band have experimented to some degree with a more speed metal-inflected sound, notably with their 1992 release Church of the Truly Warped, although they have since returned to a more purist punk sound. The band is still active and touring and maintain a strong following both in England and the rest of Europe, as well as in America and Japan.
Whilst supporting Rancid at Rock City, Nottingham, UK on 10 November, 2008, GBH announced that the band has signed with Hellcat Records and will be releasing a new album on that label in the near future.