The newest single from Goia Paranoia, “Scumbag Tone,” represents their second release from their forthcoming Pandemonium Overdrive debut album. Found in Gothenburg, Sweden, the band offers a unique and forceful sound by combining psychedelic and industrial undertones with doom-laden metal. Published in September 2024, “Scumbag Tone” immediately draws attention for its raw energy and strong, riff-driven construction.
With a strong riff serving as the backbone and verses and choruses allowing the music to breathe between fierce, high-octane portions, the song has a classic metal form. The intro features a crushing guitar tone that sets a menacing mood. The chorus offers a dramatic change with vocals that soar into sharp screams and yells. With breaks and tempo shifts that let the listener experience the visceral aspect of the music, the song’s steady but forceful pace lets you know.
With its doom metal roots, the general approach is reminiscent of bands like Black Sabbath; nonetheless, it also draws from the industrial ferocity of bands like Nine Inch Nails and Ministry. The trippy inspirations can also be compared to Electric Wizard with a raw energy mix similar to Slipknot. Combining moments of distorted chaos with crushing riffs, this melting pot of influences produces a sound that is both heavy and mysterious.
Regarding the musical setup, Goia Paranoia mostly uses distorted guitars; the “Scumbag Tone” is a real aural element that distinguishes the music rather than only a reference to the guitarist Antonio’s characteristic sound. As the song’s background points out, the guitar tone is “rank,” which produces a gnarly, muddy distortion giving the music an unvarnished, primal sense. The bass follows closely, providing a thick, rumbling low-end that balances the hefty guitar work, and the drumming is equally strong, with unrelenting patterns that progress the song.
The lead singer of Goia Paranoia employs a mix of crisp and loud vocals, therefore accentuating the song’s aggressive and emotional instability. Perfectly suiting the song’s themes of envy and illusion, the vocal delivery seems almost like an outburst filled with frustration and rage. Hard to overlook, the shouts and screams in the choruses provide the song with a passionate energy.
Though rough, the pristine production of “Scumbag Tone” is exactly fit for the genre. Being the main instrument in the performance, the guitar tone allows enough room for mixed breathing yet does not overwhelm the other instruments. The production senses the environment, especially in the placement of the drums—which provide impact and depth without overly processed treatment. With a rawness reflecting the band’s turbulent music without compromising clarity, the whole mix has an industrial edge.
The band’s self-described “exploration of alternative worlds and extreme states of mind” is on full display here. Using visceral and blunt language, the song explores lyrical themes of envy, illusion, and self-aggrandizement. It also playfully references their guitarist Antonio, who developed the “Scumbag Tone” as his characteristic guitar sound. The song has a multi-layered quality whereby comedy meets darker, more contemplative comments by combining personal tales with more general subject themes.
“Scumbag Tone” is a song that sticks out for heavy music lovers, especially those who prefer the grittier, more experimental elements of metal, and it points to great things to come from Goia Paranoia‘s debut album Pandemonium Overdrive.
