Introducing: Never Obey Again

Italian band Never Obey Again blend heavy instrumentals and engaging vocals with electronic elements in a hard-hitting metal sound they describe as “powerful, true and deep.”

The Milan quintet of Carolina Bertelegni (vocals), Alessandro Tuvo (guitar and backing vocals), Alex Pedrotti (guitar), Cristiano Trappoli (bass) and Matteo Malchiodi (drums) got together driven by the common need for a new project that offered “100% freedom of artistic expression and no pre-imposed limits.” The experienced band members have, through their various previous projects, shared stages with the likes of POD, Limp Bitzkit, Parkway Drive, Guano Apes, Suicide Silence, Carnifex and more.

And on the sound they’ve honed, they tell us: “Honestly we wouldn’t be able to describe it. We’re for sure a heavy-sounding band but the main purpose behind the project is to avoid any barriers or limits, so you can basically expect anything from us.”

Our latest taste of this is Never Obey Again’s debut album The End Of An Era, which was released on Friday (22 September). The album kicks off with the excellent The Storm, which builds into a heavy riff that gives way to Carolina’s gripping vocals. That leads into a catchy chorus, then the chunky riff and big atmospheric instruments give way to another edgy verse. That drops into light instrumentals and spoken vocals that build up to a final smash of the chorus. Check it out here:

That’s followed by the powerful Toxic Feelings, which you can check out in the video below, and huge tracks like Take Care Of You, which has more of an electronic feel to it, Stronger and Wake Up, which opens with a crushing stabbing riff and cool synth. Also check out the delicious flowing riffs in Underdog and What If on this hugely enjoyable album. And the album concludes with an excellent take on The Cranberries’ Zombie.

We chatted to them around the release of their most recent single 9:45, the album’s penultimate track that they intriguingly describe as “war ready.” It kicks off with light synth sounds then echoey vocals and a cool riff with stabbing synths. Carolina’s engaging vocals take over, kicking off with the line “It was just 9:45”, building into a deliciously catchy chorus “On and on we’ve built this wall, We took a life and gave another. Standing tall against them all. Bury a friend and take another, Shot by shot that wall is crumbling, So drop that bomb, drop another one, Drop that bomb, drop another one.”

The guitar returns with an electric string support, before dropping into another verse and chorus. Second time around, the chorus gives way to the rolling guitar riff and big chunky palm-muted guitars, which tee up a final blast of the chorus.

On the track, they said: “Each song has its own personality and probably 9:45 is the most direct and raw one… it definitely has a ‘war ready’ vibe. The feedback has been great so far and we feel very grateful!” Check it out in the video here:

Never Obey Again draw influences from rock and metal bands like Linkin Park, Evanescence, Pantera, Bring Me The Horizon and Bad Omens, as well as more niche influences across the EDM and folk genres.

And on what inspires them to write music, the band tell us: “We love to create deep and introspective vibes that fits the lyrics and create immersive sound scenarios for those who wants to listen rather than just hear. Our music speaks mainly about actuality, mental health and personal experiences.”

It’s been a little while since we spoke to any Italian bands, so we asked the band for their thoughts on their local scene. They told us: “That’s a strong topic to talk about. To be fair, the music scene in Italy is pretty dead at the moment for upcoming musicians and newborn projects. We would be more than happy to see it grow in the future but we can’t deny that at the moment we’re aiming to grow our fanbase outside Italy.”

You can follow Never Obey Again on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and check out their music on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube. You can also discover new music through their label Scarlet Records on Bandcamp and YouTube.