FINAL GIRLS Are Your New Favorite Ghouls
The four-piece band from New Jersey discusses their aesthetic influences, gender in the metal scene, and what they *better not* be referred to as.
The crossover between metal and the horror genre has come to define both subcultures, but a new band is redefining this connection with a poignant, nostalgic edge. FINAL GIRLS are self-described “loud ghouls from North Jersey,” combining death metal and hardcore with the imagery of classic horror films. Comprised of bassist Sofia Albanese, drummer Sofia DeMasi, guitarist Ashleigh Hernandez, and new vocalist Casey Cruz, the band has refined their aesthetic and sound to reinvigorate the NJ hardcore scene, with a dedicated cult following behind them.
Speaking to the girls over the course of two interviews, their compassion and support for one another was genuinely moving. They each acknowledged what the other brought to the group with the utmost appreciation. Whether it was, for instance, a varied knowledge of hardcore breakdowns or an affinity towards the Goth subculture, it became clear that they see each other as essential puzzle pieces that make FINAL GIRLS as a unit so important. For them, playing metal music is not just a hobby — it’s a way of life.
How did you all meet?
Sofia Albanese, bass: I started the band with a couple [of] other people, and slowly, it just didn’t really work out [with them]. We reached out to Sofia [DeMasi] through Instagram DM, and when the [original] drummer didn’t work out, we were like, ‘Okay, we want to actually not give up on this band.’
Then, Sofia was in, and we were in with another singer, doing that lineup for about a year. We’ve only been gigging for a little bit over a year… but recently, we’ve had a change in the lineup… Ashley [Hernandez] joined in March, and then Casey [Cruz], who joined the band in August].
What brought your focus to the metal genre?
Albanese: That was actually mostly Sofia [DeMasi]’s influence. When I pitched the band, I pitched it as… hardcore punk. But I was super into Hole at the time, so we covered a lot of [their music] starting off. I wanted to do straight 1980s hardcore punk, [but then] the singer we had could scream, [and] Sofia has a huge metal background. It just kind of worked out that way.
What other inspirations made you all hone into the sound that you have now?
Sofia DeMasi, drums: A lot of experimentation. I think we’ve progressed as musicians and [within our respective] skill levels faster than I can even imagine because we practice [and] play so often. We’ve been… listening to more music, expanding our horizons to more genres, [telling ourselves], ‘Okay, we can do better […] We can make this heavier… louder… faster.’
Albanese: When we started, we had a really strong Goth influence. I still, personally, want to try to keep that going through what we do. We all like hardcore, but Ashleigh brought a lot of the hardcore [influence].
Ashleigh Hernandez, guitar: I love hardcore breakdowns, all of that. When I was writing “Lady M.” with them, I started with the breakdown, [and] we wrote the sound around it.
Casey, how did you get into singing?
Casey Cruz, vocals: For a really long time, I wanted to be a vocalist. I was torn between doing art and music, and now my whole life is just consumed by both. When I got into metal, I didn’t see any female screamers at the time. Most of the stuff out there [included] Evanescence and Nightwish, so I got into symphonic metal with female vocals. Later on, I discovered Arch Enemy, which is more aggressive, and the vocalist [Alissa White-Gluz] is doing gutturals. I was like, ‘Oh, if she can do it, I can do it,’ and that just catalyzed my musical journey as a metal vocalist.
What is practicing your vocals like, for you?
Cruz: In the beginning, it was a lot of throat pain because I had to figure out the correct placement. But as I progressed, a lot of it [has been] just making sure that I’m thoroughly warmed up and working on vocal compression, trying to maximize the strength. Otherwise, you’re not going to get a clear scream out; it’s going to sound kind of fuzzy and faded.
In terms of the New Jersey hardcore & metal scenes, what have your experiences been like? How has the reception been in Jersey, or elsewhere?
DeMasi: Like all things, there are a few bad apples, but I feel like I can safely say this is the most accepting, supportive environment I’ve ever been in.
Albanese: Also, I feel like this kind of music is thriving around here. We’re right next to New York and it’s all hardcore, and that’s slowly where we come in. We’re a metal band, but we definitely have that influence.
[Regarding] the gender thing, there has been some weird reception, at first. It took so long for people to actually call us a metal band, and to this day… every once in a while, people will [call us] ‘riot grrrl.’ We’re not a riot girl band.
Hernandez: Our crowd is so much younger than most of the Jersey scene, so they’re way more accepting and open to the different types of things that we’re doing.
Before anything else, before I’m seen as a ‘girl in a band,’ I want to be seen as a musician…
How do you feel about people possibly referring to your band as an ‘all-girl band’?
DeMasi: You know, female metal musicians are very far and few […] I feel like it’s a really empowering thing, but at the same time, it kind of drags me down. Before anything else, before I’m seen as a ‘girl in a band,’ I want to be seen as a musician… as somebody who is really, really good at playing drums — who happens to be a chick.
The misconception is [that] our popularity […] comes from us being girls, and therefore, we must not be as competent [of] musicians. We put everything into our musical ability, [and] we really work hard to do the best that we can. We want to eventually… break the stereotype [of people] automatically think[ing], ‘Oh, they’re not going to be that good.’ I take pride in that, too, in how much effort we put in [as a band].
Hernandez: I feel like playing in an all-girl metal band makes you a target for bad comments, but also makes you a target for people to discover you.
Albanese: I take pride in us being an all-girl metal band. Of course, I would rather just be seen as a band first, but I really do take pride in that community that we’ve built and [in] inspiring other people who don’t necessarily feel like they fit in at other metal shows.
Do you all have a specific process when going into your writing sessions?
Cruz: I feel like that’s something we’re still working on because I come from a different set of influences.
Albanese: Even though we’re still figuring out how to write [in] this new dynamic… I think Casey has wonderful input, and—
DeMasi, to Cruz: You’re attentive!
Albanese: She’s really attentive. We’re rehashing something that works for all of us right now because it’s a new lineup, but… I already feel more confident in the way that we write.
As you are all adjusting, how has your routine developed?
DeMasi: [To start, we] write a riff, we listen to it, [and] we’re like, ‘Okay, does this sound more verse, more, chorus, more bridge?’ Then, [...] ‘Can we go forward into a verse from this chorus? Or can we go forward into a breakdown from this chorus?’ Once we have one riff developed, [we ask], what can we transition into this?
Albanese: We are definitely not a ‘jam band.’ [Jamming is] one thing that really doesn’t work for us.
Hernandez: And it’s hard to break out of what you’re playing.
Albanese: We try to challenge ourselves when we write. [...] We like to perfect individual parts and put them together, rather than just jam something out. [...] When we’re sitting together… we specifically write knowing what people are going to think of the song — not trying to please anyone, but knowing what our crowd likes, and what we are trying to achieve.
Do you have any inspirations that aren’t necessarily within the metal genre, even lyrically?
Cruz: I used to write a lot of poetry, so as far as lyrics go, I want to write something that’s going to resonate with people… something truly meaningful.
[Since joining FINAL GIRLS], I have had to figure out what fits the vibe of this band while still [incorporating] weird horror imagery into the themes that I want to portray. I want to make the content relatable [while] staying true to what the band is, so I pull allegories together. [...] I play on body horror and themes… trying to Frankenstein together reality and horror.
How did your aesthetic come about, particularly the influence of horror films?
Albanese: [Since the band’s inception], I was like, ‘I want to start a band called FINAL GIRLS.’ I’ve always loved classic horror, I love all kinds of horror movies. I’m like a film nerd, secretly: I almost went to film school, [and] it’s still a huge passion of mine. [I thought] it would be so cool if we were a horror-metal band, and we try to incorporate that lyrically, in our aesthetics, and in what we wear. I think it’s super cool and makes us pretty unique… and I think that’s where some of the gender trouble comes in. The name is not a reference to us being all girls; it’s mostly a reference to the [film] trope.
DeMasi: [With] our own personal styles, it doesn’t take a lot for us to match each other. Especially when it comes to show attire, we don’t pick a theme… we look like a unit, anyway. [We] try to make things really eerie [coinciding with] our songs… to make it slightly more theatrical and cinematic.
How do you avoid the pressure of putting yourselves into a box, pertaining to genre or aesthetics?
DeMasi: It’s hard to avoid that […] I feel like you have to force yourself into that box and then work on something familiar over and over again until you can finally create something different.
Albanese: The ‘boxes’ aren’t a bad thing for us, as long as the labels that are being used to describe us are correct [and not] something that we don’t want to be called.
What are some of the things that you don’t like being called?
All: ‘Riot girl.’
DeMasi: When [people] tone down what they would normally call another band because we’re women, that gets under my skin.
Do you feel that the name ‘FINAL GIRLS’ comes with its own biases?
Albanese: It definitely does, but I think it’s kind of fun to break those biases, anyway. [Being] young girls on stage, I think it makes [us] all the more shocking and badass.
Thinking about the future of FINAL GIRLS, what are your goals?
DeMasi: I hope to have a large audience of young girls that look up to us. I want to meet these people, I want to talk to them, but also show that I’m a person [and] want to help them… inspire that fire as much as I can.
What does metal signify for you all that other rock genres don’t? What does metal mean for you?
Cruz: Catharsis. With metal, you’re able to talk about the darker facets of life that are often socially unacceptable.
Albanese: It is so fulfilling in a way that other music is not, especially when you see it live […] It’s about the feeling, the groove. At first, I didn’t even see the appeal. I love the feeling of being at a show and screaming [along to] the words, so I didn’t understand [metal] until I saw it live. It fulfills a different need.
DeMasi: The fact that the outlet itself is so non-judgmental. Like, you could go into a group of people and start kicking your legs and punching them, and they’re like ‘Cool, This is awesome.’ It is a very physical catharsis, not only for the players but the audience, too. [Making music] is the one thing I want to be able… to prove, this very difficult skill that I have been able to do. I get that through metal, and I don’t get it through a lot of other things.
You feel locked into something; your whole body becomes a part of something. It’s a healthy way to channel that emotion. Because of [the] sound, complexity, and loudness, it makes you, personally, feel bigger than ever.
Hernandez: When I found metal, it was a way for me to take all these emotions I didn’t know what to do with… and find out that people do this. [It fostered] that type of connection where I’m like, ‘People actually feel this way, too.’ Growing up, it was the one way I could find a community of people [who] felt the same anger I did. The metal just stuck with me.
Metal will take [your emotions] and change it into something that makes you feel powerful.