Band:	Annihilator
Album:	Never, Neverland
Style:	Thrash metal
Release date:	September 12, 1990
Guest review by:	Poirot

01. The Fun Palace
02. Road To Ruin
03. Sixes And Sevens
04. Stonewall
05. Never, Neverland
06. Imperiled Eyes
07. Kraf Dinner
08. Phantasmagoria
09. Reduced To Ash
10. I Am In Command

Never, Neverland is the second album by the Canadian thrash metal band Annihilator released in 1990. Their previous album Alice in Hell, released just one year before, was a real success and quickly became a classic thrash metal album. The song "Never, Neverland" is about the story of a young girl, locked in a room for many years by her fanatic grandmother, but finally freed by policemen. Just like in Alice in Hell, the title track is about the true and gloomy story of a young girl. Never, Neverland is a good prequel to such a successful album. In fact it is an even better album than Alice in Hell, even if some people think their debut album was their best.

Every aspect of this album is as close to perfection as it could be. Where Alice in Hell had weak points, Never, Neverland hasn't. Randy Rampage's voice was almost only growling in Alice, and to be honest it could be a bit annoying sometimes. Here, Coburn Pharr's voice is clear, and it fits perfectly with the album's atmosphere. It can be aggressive ("I Am in Command") but also emotional ("Never, Neverland"). Jeff Waters' guitar work is absolutely brilliant. The album contains killer riffs ("Sixes and Sevens"), excellent solos ("Stonewall") and strong choruses ("The Fun Palace"). The complexity of the songs is sometimes high, and makes this album almost progressive. But it's still a thrash album, with fast and aggressive songs ("Phantasmagoria"). The bass is very audible and even has its own riffs and solos ("Imperiled Eyes"). The drum work is also very good, not extremely original, but it does its job.

Even the song "Kraf Dinner", which can be considered a filler, as it is a song about cheese and macaroni, is a good song! Except for this one, there is absolutely no filler in this album. Each track here is excellent.

Never, Neverland is a true masterpiece with a dark but also strong atmosphere, as shown by its cover artwork, a high quality sound and a brilliant tracklist. It is an original album, even if the mix between thrash and progressive metal had already been tried before, the result here is really unique and excellent.

Personal favorites : "The Fun Palace", "Never, Neverland", "Imperiled Eyes".