by Alex Henderson
In the 1980s and early '90s, there was often a very fine line between &hard rock& and &heavy metal.& But with Annihilator, there was never a question -- this was most definitely a metal band to the core. Comparable to Metallica and Judas Priest at their heaviest, Never Neverland is a blistering gem that takes no prisoners either musically or lyrically. In fact, Annihilator's lyrics could be quite substantial, and the headbangers offer hard-hitting commentary on subjects on subjects ranging from drunken driving (&Road to Ruin&) to religious fanaticism (&I Am in Command&) to environmental destruction (&Stonewall&). More accessible than death/grindcore bands like Deicide, Cannibal Corpse and Hellwitch but certainly much heavier than the many pop/metal units flooding the market in the late '80s and early '90s, Never Neverland was one of 1990's strongest metal releases.