Review / 200 Words Or Less
Grace Alley / Skin Like Iron
Quake City

Spiderghost (2008) Michael

Grace Alley / Skin Like Iron – Quake City cover artwork
Grace Alley / Skin Like Iron – Quake City — Spiderghost, 2008

We all know how much I love the Bay Area music scene, so it's really no surprise I'm loving this split 7" from Grace Alley and Skin Like Iron.

Grace Alley leads things off with "Sunday Morning, "Fifth and Harrison." The music has that definitive East Bay Punk sound of the 90's to it mixed with a bit of the Brit Punk sound

then again weren't most of those Bay Area bands borrowing from the Brits? The vocals are a bit more hardcore oriented with Sammy Winston of All Bets Off/Ramparts fame on the mic. For their second song they take on Cheap Trick's "Auf Wiedersehen." It's an odd choice, but they pull it off.

Side two has Skin Like Iron offer up two originals on their side of the split. Following up their self-titled 10", these two songs demonstrate their fusion of gritty and raw hardcore with dissonant metal. It's like equal parts Black Flag and The Melvins with a dash of Discharge. They are quickly becoming one of the best bands in hardcore, not to mention one of the most unique.

Two great bands on one piece of wax. What's not to love? Pick this up!

8.5 / 10Michael • October 14, 2008

Grace Alley / Skin Like Iron – Quake City cover artwork
Grace Alley / Skin Like Iron – Quake City — Spiderghost, 2008

Recently-posted album reviews

The Library Is On Fire

Degeneration Elegies
The Abyss, Ltd. (2026)

There’s a certain kind of band that never quite fits the moment they arrive in. Sometimes too jagged for one scene, too melodic for another. The Library Is On Fire were one of those bands in the early 2000s, hovering somewhere between indie-punk urgency and power-pop instinct without fully settling into either. On Degeneration Elegies, their first full-length in over … Read more

Nicole Alexis

Mirrors & Smoke
Independent (2026)

There’s a fine line between stripped down music and so stripped back that is sounds empty. On Mirrors and Smoke, Nicole Alexis lands comfortably on the right side of that line, delivering a debut EP that leans into simplicity without losing its emotional weight. Built around acoustic arrangements and minimal production, the EP feels intentionally close. It feels like these … Read more

The Remote Controls

Too Tough
Fail Harmonic Records, Mom’s Basement Records (2025)

There’s a certain kind of punk band that doesn’t overthink things. No reinvention, no genre-bending manifesto, just fast songs, big hooks, and enough attitude to carry it all. Indianapolis’ The Remote Controls lean hard into that tradition on Too Tough, a record that feels less like a statement and more like a well-earned victory lap. Built on a steady diet … Read more