Genre : Queercore, Mathcore, Sasscore, Hardcore
Released : May 5th, 2023
Label : Prosthetic Records
FFO : SeeYouSpaceCowboy, Pupil Slicer, Ithaca, hopscotchbattlescars
After having turned quite a few heads in the underground hardcore and mathcore scenes with their 2021 debut album "The Horrible And The Miserable", UK queercore duo Death Goals have sharpened their blades and are unapologetically themselves on their sophomore, "A Garden Of Dead Flowers", having signed with Prosthetic Records in the meantime.
"A Garden Of Dead Flowers" is a personal exploration of the self; offering a bleak reflection on gender identity and presenting the harsh realities and daily struggles of trying to come to terms with who you are in an environment that is still widely unaccepting and repressive.
With the UK government's decision to block the Gender Recognition Bill earlier this year and the US government having passed 85 anti-trans bills this year alone so far, the existence of bands like Death Goals bringing much needed queer representation and visibility to the hardcore scene feels more vital than ever.
As the album wastes no time in opening things up with a signature call-and-response chaotic hardcore breakdown consisting of low chugs and shrill panic chords, it's easy to forget that it's only a duo making all of this abrasive sonic chaos, and the sentiment remains throughout the record.
Guitarist Harry Bailey and drummer George Milner also make good use of their dual vocals approach, with Harry being in charge of the high-pitched screams and shrieks while George counter-balances with spoken-word yells, creating an interesting and dynamic contrast.
From a technical standpoint, one could say that the vocals are unpolished and rough around the edges; I believe it is their rawness and distancing from pitch-perfect, technical mastery that makes their music as real, authentic and uncomfortable as their words recounting their personal experiences are.
Although "A Garden Of Dead Flowers" mostly deals with the darker aspects surrounding non-binary existence (violent discrimination, self-harm, suicide, the struggle for self-acceptance...), it also exists as a celebration of it, perhaps best captured by the album closer "Faux Macho" 's upbeat and playful twist on a cheerleader chant, arguably making it one of the catchiest mathcore songs of the year in the process.
As the duo blend together elements of different musical sub-genres all stemming from hardcore to carry out their message of inclusivity with mosh-ready ragers, they put together a patchwork of extreme music that is as diverse as the community they stand for and represent.