In 2019, I saw a band open for King Diamond and Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats. It was a band called Unto Others, (At the time, they were called Idle Hands). This opening was unlike anything I have ever seen. The sound of old school goth with a twist of insane metal riffing, combined with beautiful melodic guitars and one catchy chorus after another. They bring joy and romanticism in misery and total beauty in despair. They are the soundtrack to the celebration of the darkness we all feel inside. We have a future band that will resonate with old school goths and breed many new ones. 

With two amazing albums, under the belt, Mana and Strength, and after nearly two years of tours being canceled and/or postponed, Unto Others embarks on bringing their rain of darkness into New York City at TV Eye in Queens. We knew a storm was upon us after we got hit with freak pouring rain and the temperature dropped to near freezing conditions. 

Unto Others opened behind that blood red curtain and Vocalist/guitarist Gabriel Franco unleashes the ultimate deep voice of terror and harmony as guitarist Sebastian Silva shreds with riffs ranging from black metal to thrash to straight down and dirty rock n roll. All with the rhythm held perfectly together, we were in for a night of beauty and carnage. 

Unto Others put together the perfect setlist. A good portion of their new album, Strength,  with songs such as No Children Laughing Now, Summer Lightning and When Will God’s Work Be Done. They were scattered perfectly throughout the setlist. With Mana becoming a goth classic at this point, they brought all the classics from that album such as Jackie, Double Negative and the every so catchy, Give Me to the Night. We even got It Doesn’t Even Matter off their Don’t Waste Your Time II EP. Add in some covers from The Ramones and Misfits and you got the perfect setlist. They ended with the Mana deep cut (which happens to be the first song they ever wrote) Blade and the Will. There was a lot incorporated into the setlist and the audience kept demanding more. While every member brought full energy by headbanging and moving along to the music, vocalist/guitarist Gabriel Franco delivered a very cold and static stage presence underneath dark sunglasses that made him look dead and decrepit and it added to the unsettling nature that Unto Others is capable of. It brought contrast and emotion with his static and unsettling stare. You would almost wonder if what lies underneath those shades can kill you. With faster songs such as Downtown and Nightfall, the audience would dance and with more gentle and emotional songs such as Jackie and even settling things down with It’ll be Over Before you Know It as an interlude, every song delivered the emotion it was meant to capture all while having the same consistent unsettling and beautiful feeling. 

Unto Others makes misery fun. Unto Others makes despair beautiful. Unto Others makes pain feel good. Unto Others is a band that proves that our inner goths never went away. With the loss of bands over the years such as Type O Negative and HIM, Unto Others is able to fulfill (Not replace) those gaps while bringing their own unique twist to it. They have toured with black metal bands, and can easily capture a mainstream audience with their gentle and catchy sounds. They have their own unique stage presence that has the most dead and most alive you’ll see. Life and Death is demonstrated on stage. Maybe they can play your wedding. Maybe they can play your funeral. Either way, Unto Others is here to stay.