As fall settles in, an album tailor made for the season drops with the third full-length from Unto Others. Never, Neverland (can’t help but think of Annihilator with that title) is trick or treat – their least heavy material at a whopping 16 tracks (17 with the deluxe), a grab bag of driving heavy metal, goth rock, ‘80s pop/rock, punk (the lively bass is welcomed), and bits of new wave. It’s not out place and rolls out like a natural continuation of their sound.

While Gabriel Franco’s deep inflective vocals attract attention with melancholic moods, Never, Neverland yo-yo’s with different moods from sad, regretful, heartbreak to humorous, playful (check out the Zelda reference in “Time Goes On”), and cheeky attitudes. It’s jarring and give more appreciation of Peter Steele's charisma to naturally promote those moods without it being forced. With Unto Others, it’s less convincing.

Sure, “Momma Likes The Door Closed” is mischievous, but it’s also one of the heavier, punkier tracks and it works. The first four songs work brilliantly in tandem with “Butterfly” being the delicate rocker to open proceedings before the punch of “Momma”, while “Angel Of The Night” is sad, forbidden love of descending chords and “Suicide Today” is the punchy, punky, sarcastic rocker that hits the right notes. 

Unto Others takes their foot of their gas for the majority of Never, Neverland with dreamy landscapes and clean notes for light rockers in “Time Goes On”, the lush ‘80s ballad “Cold World”, and the ear candy chorus of “Sunshine”. “Fame” shows some angst, “Flatline” is a short, dissonant screamer, and “Hoops” showcases Sebastian Silva’s jumpy guitar work. 

The album unfortunately never hits that high gear when you really want it to and that’s the biggest issue when going through this Neverland circus. Their debut Mana was excellent and follow-up Strength lived up to its title. Perhaps some of these newer tunes will come out better in the live arena.