With 1998’s Songs We Didn’t Write and the departure of original lead guitarist Conrad, Ghoti Hook was telegraphing that change was on the horizon. On Two Years to Never, the Washington, D.C.-based quintet has shucked off its comic punk leanings in favor of a hard-edged rock approach and made a record that rocks with energy and creativity.

Lyrically, Two Years to Never speaks honestly of the hurt and struggle to love and be loved. While making vague spiritual allusions here and there, only in "Mach 3" do they directly address a request to God. Then in "Vs.," like MxPx’s "Foolish," they address folks who would write off the band merely because its members are Christians.

An artful rock record, Ghoti Hook has not made Two Years to Never so that it fits the definition of Christian music offered by the Gospel Music Association. They’ve made a gritty statement of how it is.