NOAPOLOGY On A Path To A Worldwide Breakthrough With "Defenseless"

Sunday, 28 April 2024 22:26

NOAPOLOGY On A Path To A Worldwide Breakthrough With "Defenseless" ^Featured

Written by Gene Aaron

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NOAPOLOGY

With the February 20, 2024 release of their fourth original hit single "Defenseless," alternative metal and modern hard rock powerhouse NOAPOLOGY have entered the undeviating pathway to make a worldwide breakthrough with over 900,000 subscribers and staggering 200 million views on YouTube, and their eagerly anticipated upcoming full-length debut, finalizing their transition from a cover project, formerly known as Sershen&Zaritskaya.

"Defenseless" stands as the newest testament to NOAPOLOGY's unwavering dedication to crafting genuine, heartfelt music. It is a contemplation of Ukrainian rockers in their artistic development, following their previous highly successful originals, “Deadhearted” of 2023, and a debut single “Ashes,” which was produced in two versions - acoustic and a power-charged arrangement.

Throughout "Defenseless," NOAPOLOGY showcases their undeniable talent and musicianship, weaving together intricate layers of sound to create a sonic landscape that is as immersive as it is impactful, demonstrating the band's signature blend of alternative and modern metal. This single serves as a poignant exploration of vulnerability and resilience, themes that reverberate deeply within the band's body of work, delivering a powerful punch that resonates with raw emotion and unyielding intensity.

NOAPOLOGY - "Defenseless"

“With 'Defenseless,' we wanted to capture the vulnerability and strength that coexist within all of us,” shares the lead singer Daria Zaritskaya. “This song, like all our music, comes from a place of deep personal experience, and we hope it resonates with our listeners."

The song starts with a pounding drum beat to be empowered with a thrashing guitar riff, which steps down the moment Daria Zaritskaya starts telling her compelling story and going full throttle in the chorus, demonstrating Daria’s full vocal range with powerful belts. The composition further develops with a haunting, electrifying bridge, which changes tempo and rhythmic accents, slowing down to deliver even heavier thumps before coming back with a closing refrain.

Listen "Defenseless," on Spotify: Defenseless - song and lyrics by NOAPOLOGY

Three preceding releases, "Deadhearted" (April 1, 2023), “Ashes - Acoustic Version” (December 30, 2022), and “Ashes” (October 25, 2022), seem to be seared by the war while recorded in between air raids, rocket shelling, and hiding in a bomb shelter, and for their dramatically dark cover images and intense heavy music performance. But this is only at first glance.

“Making music is the only thing that really matters for us. We just can't not play,” says guitarist Sergey Sershen.

Despite the dramatic turbulence the Ukrainian artists had to go through, the band’s principal songwriters Daria Zaritskaya and Sergey Sershen have been focusing on expressing personal human relationships and universal common life struggles of the songs’ characters as the lyrics explore themes of loss, redemption, and inner turmoil.

NOAPOLOGY - Deadhearted (Official Music Video)

NOAPOLOGY's predecessor, the dynamic cover project Sershen&Zaritskaya, founded by the charismatic vocalist Daria Zaritskaya and the guitarist Sergey Sershen, became a YouTube sensation by producing exceptionally crafted covers, well recognizable by Daria’s uniquely distinctive and powerful voice and original signature sound skillfully engineered by Sergey, arranged with his masterful guitars and supported by the power-tight rhythm section by bassist Alex Shturmak and drummer Dmitry Kim.

NOAPOLOGY: Daria Zaritskaya (vocals) Sergey Sershen (guitars), Alex Shturmak (bass), Dmitry Kim (drums).

Through their covers, Sershen&Zaritskaya paid homage to such artists as AC/DC, Bon Jovi, Alannah Myles, KISS, Deep Purple, Journey, Guns'n'Roses, Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Billy Idol, Scorpions, Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Whitesnake, The Beatles, Heart, and many others, each reaching millions of views and praised by fans around the world.

AC/DC - Back in Black (cover by Sershen&Zaritskaya feat. Kim and Shturmak)

Their rendition of AC/DC’s “Back in Black” reached 23 million views, and along with Highway To Hell, You Shook Me All Night Long, Mistress for Christmas, and THUNDERSTRUCK, created a record-breaking AC/DC playlist performed by a female fronted rock band from Eastern Europe.

Adding to that list is work on some of the hottest hits by the biggest female artists, such as Lady Gaga, The Pretty Reckless, and Halestorm, among others. Sershen & Zaritskaya also collaborated on KISS and Elvis Presley classics with another female-led act, Halocene, and their lead vocalist, Addie Nicole Amick.

And, of course, this list would not be complete without Sershen&Zaritskaya’s sensational version of Heart’s iconic hit "Barracuda" with impressive 4.3M views, in which the band added their own dynamic flair, demonstrating Daria’s vocal prowess and the band’s musical versatility, breathing new life into this timeless classic, just like Ann and Nancy Wilson themselves add their craft and soul when paying homage to the great Led Zeppelin.

Heart- Barracuda (cover by Sershen&Zaritskaya feat. Kim and Shturmak)

From the moment they burst onto the scene, NOAPOLOGY has been making waves with their unique blend of aggression and melody. Their music resonates with a visceral intensity, driven by pounding rhythms, blistering guitar solos, and lyrics that cut straight to the core. With influences ranging from classic metal icons to contemporary rock innovators, NOAPOLOGY's sound is timeless and cutting-edge, drawing in fans from across the musical spectrum.

As NOAPOLOGY continues to evolve and expand their sonic palette, their impact on the alternative metal scene only grows stronger. With their debut album set to drop in the coming months, anticipation is at an all-time high as fans eagerly await another dose of NOAPOLOGY's electrifying energy. In a world hungry for genuine emotion and unbridled passion, NOAPOLOGY delivers in spades, reminding us of music's transformative power.

NOAPOLOGY - Ashes (Official Music Video)

On November 9th, 2024, NOAPOLOGY will be playing at the URROCK Festival in Switzerland for the very first time: https://www.urrock.ch/band/noapology

ABOUT NOAPOLOGY

Kyiv, Ukraine-based rockers NOAPOLOGY blend the most potent elements of female-fronted hard rock and melodic metal with their own virtuosity and fire to create music that has already attracted millions of fans worldwide.

The band was started as a YouTube cover act called Sershen & Zaritskaya in 2014. They were wildly successful and saw their hard rock cover videos gain over 200 million views. After the ongoing war had broken out in 2022, the group moved into doing original music and quickly found a sound and vision that had the power to speak to modern times.

NOAPOLOGY Line-up:

Daria Zaritskaya (vocals)
Sergey Sershen (guitars)
Alex Shturmak (bass)
Dmitry Kim (drums)

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Published in Rock, Prog-Rock, Metal

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Gene Aaron

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