Portland’s Unto Others just proved that evolution doesn’t require abandoning your DNA. They ripped through a set that bounced between vintage thrash brutality and goth rock theatrics like they were changing radio stations in hell’s own car stereo.
Gabriel Franco doesn’t just sing. He channels decades of metal’s best impulses through his throat, switching from Cronos-level snarl to Peter Murphy croon without missing a beat. The band follows his lead with the kind of precision that separates weekend warriors from actual bands.
Here’s what separates them from every other genre-hopping act cluttering the landscape: they actually understand what they’re stealing. When they drop into thrash mode, it’s not cosplay. When they drift into gothic territory, it’s not Halloween dress-up. They’ve absorbed the DNA of both worlds and spit out something that feels both ancient and alien.
While half the metal world argues about what’s “real” and the other half chases whatever’s trending on TikTok, Unto Others are busy proving that the best way forward is sometimes a hard left turn into the past. They’re not paying tribute to metal’s history. They’re ransacking it for parts.
They’ve figured out how to make old bones dance again, and the result is some of the most vital metal being made right now. Forget the future of metal. Unto Others are showing us what happens when the future finally catches up to what metal was always supposed to be.
