Review Summary: Essential Thrash Metal Masterpiece
Never, Neverland is considered by many as Annihilators best album, I am one of those many. I first started getting into Annihilator when my friend recommended the album Metal which i found to be very dull and uninspired. After long lengths of listening to
Megadeth on repeat I chose to revisit Annihilator once more, but instead of listening to Metal again I purchased this beast. First thing that grabbed my attention was the production, clean as a whistle and enough punch to make me head bang for a long time. What also got my attention was Jeff Waters guitar playing and how technical it was throughout the whole album which is great for me as a guitar player for listening and learning as I like a challenge.
The guitar seems to be in the spotlight throughout the whole album, hardly ever will you find a dull moment. The opener
The Fun Palace really shows the bands talent, featuring fantastic riffs and solos by Jeff. Probably the biggest showcase of Jeff's guitar playing is the title track
Never, Neverland with insane riffs and dive bombs. My personal favorite riff from the album is on
The Fun Palace 40 seconds in.
The album makes good use of the bass guitar. The bass player Wayne Darley is usually following the guitar but on songs such as
Never, Neverland and
The Fun Palace he is set free to do his own thing which sounds brilliant. the bass has a metallic sound and reminds me of Megadeth's bassist Dave Ellefsons sound
The vocalist Coburn Pharr fits in brilliantly with the album and compliments the guitar throughout. His voice is especially good on
Never, Neverland and
Imperiled Eyes. His voice is the typical thrash metal style but his screams make him stand out among the crowd. The lyrics are rather strange, i think they are mostly about going insane but i'm not to sure. In the song
Kraf Dinner the lyrics are about macaroni and cheese which is quite hilarious.
The production is one of the biggest plus's of the album, compared to albums like Rust In Peace and Seasons In The Abyss which were released around the same time
Never, Neverland excels in both punch and quality from the ride cymbal to the bass guitar, it's A1.
I highly recommend this album to anyone who likes thrash or technical metal. The instrumentation is flawless and the vocals set the bar even higher. Don't base your opinion on Annihilator solely off the album Metal like I did, This album is leaps and bounds over that and in my humble opinion is a masterpiece. I also recommend their first album Alice In Hell. I'm off to buy the rest of Annihilators Discography, peace.
Pros:
Technical and precise guitar playing
Great vocals
No filler
Cons:
Feels a little short
Recommended Songs:
The Fun Palace
Never, Neverland
Stonewall
Road to Ruin
"'Kraf Dinner is full of love and butter!!"
