Never Obey Again – Trust

Never Obey Again
Trust
Label: Scarlet Records
Out: October 18^th, 2024
Playing time: 40:35

Modern Metal for the masses

With these strong words, the label describes the sound of the Italian Metal band Never Obey Again. However, important information is withheld, such as the release date of the new album ‘Trust’. I had to ask singer Carolina Bertelegni about this. The album is the direct successor to the debut ‘The End Of An Era’. The band had to deal with a change in the line-up. The new man behind the battery is Marco Binda. This continuity should actually have a positive effect. The joint tours through Belgium and the Netherlands should also have cemented the band’s structure. 

In the short introduction to ‘Animal By Choice’, Carolina Bertelegni’s vocals initially sound technically alienated. But soon the hard guitar riffs are banging out of the speakers, and you can enjoy the voice. But what is that? Suddenly evil growls are flying around the listener’s ears! Yes, Carolina learnt this vocal style last year and uses it on the second album. But don’t worry, she also switches to her clear voice again and again. But one thing has obviously not changed: the short song introductions, often dominated by industrial sounds. This is also the case with ‘G.O.D. (Given Or Denied)’. But here, too, hard Metal sounds soon follow. New member Marco Binda maltreats his drums. The singer screams her heart out from time to time. Synth sounds can be heard in the background, presumably coming from the computer. ‘Never Feel, Never Fear’ – introduction with sound gimmicks? Of course. But then Carolina lets her powerful organ resound again. And the instrumental section generates a lot of pressure. Plus, a guitar solo towards the end of the song. After an emotional outburst of violence, ‘Give Me A Fuckin’ Break’ levels out in the mid-tempo range. Despite all the heaviness and aggression, beautiful melodies take centre stage again and again. On ‘Under My Skin, Before Your Eyes’, the singer shows her somewhat softer side. Despite the occasional growl. The sound is not quite as harsh as before. You can also hear the synthesiser carpets. ‘Lost…’ is a calm instrumental interlude with various (synth) sound gimmicks and leads into the next smash hit “Control”. At first, the track follows on seamlessly from the interlude, but soon heavily distorted guitars kick in. And then the drums and bass start booming again without pushing the melodic lines into the background. ‘I Wish’ starts as a power ballad. Once again, Carolina shows her soft vocal side. But no, the Italians can’t be quiet all the time. And the singer makes excessive use of her newly acquired skills. The mostly melodic mid-tempo song ‘Conquer And Divide’ is a little calmer again. Although here too the riffs, bass and drums provide a hard fundamental sound. Waterfall’ is also one of the calmer tracks with beautiful melodies. But there is still no real rest, neither for the musicians nor the listeners. The title track ‘Trust’ follows this time at the end of the album and, unlike ‘The End Of An Era’, is also a fully-fledged song. And as if the musicians needed some rest, this is probably the quietest song on the album. And one of the most melodic.

Never Obey Again have worked hard on themselves since their last album. As a result, ‘Trust’ has become a real Metal plank. Especially thanks to the bitter growls of Carolina Bertelegni. She is clearly the band’s figurehead. And she can rely on her comrades-in-arms to back up her powerful vocals with a strong sound. A clear improvement on the debut album. This is also emphasised by the singer’s statement ‘This album suits our musical taste better. It represents us more than ‘The End Of An Era’’.

Never Obey Again – Never Feel, Never Fear: https://youtu.be/TP4QqQmx3BI?si=uvoNwIQnhvXMeXlk

Lineup:

Carolina Bertelegni – Vocals
Alessandro Tuvo – Guitar
Alex Pedrotti – Guitar
Cristiano Trappoli – Bass
Marco Binda – Drums

Track list:

• Animal By Choice
• G.O.D. (Given Or Denied)
• Never Feel, Never Fear
• Give Me A Fuckin’ Break
• Under My Skin, Before Your Eyes
• Lost…
• Control
• I Wish
• Conquer And Divide
• Waterfall
• Trust