Unto Others – Never, Neverland (Review)

Never, Neverland of the underground heavy metal scenes not so secret upstarters Unto Others will be a divisive record among fans. Originally formed as Idle Hands in 2017 in Portland, Oregon and after gaining a well-known reputation among metal fans for their 2018 EP Don’t Waste Your Time and the highly acclaimed Mana in 2019, the band unfortunately had to change their name due to some legal reasons. But that did not hinder them from dropping another highly praised record in 2021s Strength. After switching back from a major label to Century Media (which is still a rather big player) mainman Gabriel Franco and his fellow bandmembers were challenged to writing a successor to two fairly well-received goth tinged heavy metal records (and three EP’s). Now with Never, Neverland the band tries to cement their gained reputation as goth rocks’ new rising stars in walking down the unexepected route.

While their older releases focused more on a heavy metal background and mixing it with prominent Sisters Of Mercy and maybe Type O Negative influences, the ingredients for their third outing have now been switched entirely. This might have to do with the more collaborative songwriting approach that offered Sebastian Silver (Guitar), Brandon Hill (Bass) and Colin Vranzian (Drums) more creative input. While the record offers some of the bands heaviest tracks ever with pre-released Slayer influenced barnburner “Momma Likes the Door Closed” and the 1,5 minute blackened hardcore outburst that is “Flatline”, most of the 16 track record emphasises their melancholic and melodic more than ever before.

The prominent tracklisting of pre-released singles “Butterfly” and “Angel Of The Night” gives a good indication for the record’s general mood as Unto Others push their sound to their most poppy with tracks like “Sunshine” and “Cold World”. Those tunes would most possibly get radio airplay if we’d live in the 80s. Therefore many fans expecting more headbangable stuff like “Momma Likes the Door Closed” or older favorites such as “Heroin” might be disappointed with the lofty atmosphere the aforementioned tracks or the synth supported closing title track provide.

However, Mr. Franco still knows how to create absolutely addicting hooklines such as in album highlight “Suicide Today” (try to get that out of your head – you can’t), the infectious hard rock anthem “Time Goes On” or “Raigeki”. Those tracks are most similar to what the band already showed on their first two records.

Make no mistake though, the majority of the material here is more lofty and focused on atmosphere which makes Never, Neverland not as immediate as Mana or Strength were. That might be a downfall for some fans but also serves as a brave move since it increases the record’s replay value and diversity enormously. Although some of the interludes and instrumental “Hoops” could have been excluded from the record without any distraction. Your enjoyability will most likely depend on how much time you want to give the record to be fully absorbed and how your expectations are going into it.

After spending some time with it, Never, Neverland crystallises itself as Unto Others most diverse but also least aggressive outing yet. While their are some undeniably catchy hits such as “Suicide Today”, “Time Goes On” or “Raigeki”, the majority of the record offers much more atmosphere and focus on melody. And some listeners might need to take some time to fully embrace its renowned diversity. While naysayers might entitle the record as unfocused or disjointed, Unto Others songwriting on either side of the musical spectrum presented here is simply too good to be dismissed. It will be interesting to see if this will be heralded as a transition record for Unto Others or if their well-deserved breakthrough will manifest with Never, Neverland. Qualitywise, there shouldn’t be any doubts here.