Malota | Scapegoat | Go Down Records

 

Release Date: October 10^th, 2025

Format: Digital/CD/Vinyl

Genre: Sludge/Post-Metal

Country: Italy

Malota formed in Italy during the 2010s, blending heavy riffs with politically charged lyrics and raw emotional intensity. Their sound began with clear rock roots, but over time, the group evolved toward darker, more oppressive territories. “Scapegoat,” their second full-length release through Go Down Records, arrives four years after their last EP and presents a band fully immersed in despair and confrontation.

The album is built on slow, crushing rhythms and a heavy, metallic tone that dominates from start to finish. The guitars rumble with a thick, suffocating presence, while the vocals sound almost torn from the throat, packed with anguish and anger. “Scapegoat” abandons any trace of their earlier rock energy for something far more unforgiving, this is music that grinds and drags like a march through emotional wreckage.

Lyrically, Malota does not hide behind metaphor. Their words strike directly at political decay, human cruelty, and historical wounds. “Nermin,” for instance, recounts the horrors of Srebrenica in 1995, echoing one of Europe’s darkest postwar moments. The storytelling feels brutally honest, refusing to comfort or soften the truth. The band’s view of humanity is bleak but painfully grounded in reality, a reflection of a world that keeps repeating its mistakes.

Across “Scapegoat,” the tone remains oppressive but purposeful. The songs unfold with a steady sense of weight and atmosphere, occasionally lifting through sections of restrained melody that only deepen the surrounding heaviness. “...But Deliver Us From Pain” and “Until The Next Nuclear Holocaust” embody the album’s emotional and sonic extremes, combining fury, sorrow, and hopelessness in a seamless, punishing tide.

Malota’s shifts toward a darker metallic approach gives “Scapegoat” a sense of honesty and urgency. The production is raw and natural, leaving the rough edges intact. This is not music meant for comfort or escape, it’s confrontation through sound. “Scapegoat” stands as a heavy and thought-provoking release, drenched in human suffering and political awareness. It may not offer light or redemption but its sincerity and emotional gravity make it a worthy listen for those drawn to the darker side of metal’s emotional spectrum.

Score: 7.0

https://malota.bandcamp.com/

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