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

Sweat

Tear it on Down
Vitriol (2026)

Tear It On Down is the third record from Sweat and it picks up where the last two left off. It's aggressive hardcore punk, but with a playful groove or swagger that really makes it feel uplifting, even when the content is not. Case in point: "Surveillance State," which rolls kind of like a call-and-response song, except that lead vocalist … Read more

Latchkey Kids

Years Of Summers
Pathetic Pinky Party (2026)

Growing up is rarely cinematic in real time but when you look back, it can feel mythic. On Year Of Summers, New Jersey’s Latchkey Kids frame heartbreak, identity, and grief through something closer to epic storytelling than simple emo confession. It’s a record that understands the drama of youth without romanticizing it. Frontman Hanny Ramadan positions the album as a … Read more

Mental Gymnast

Mental Gymnast
Say-10 (2026)

Recipe: Mental Gymnast Self-Titled Creator: Mental Gymnast Cookbook: Say-10 Recipes Copyright: 2/27/26 Ingredients: 1 Very Ripe Adam Gecking on Vocals 1 Stick Unsalted Erica Clayton on Bass 2 Slices Scotty Sandwich (1 Slice Guitar, 1 Slice Drums) 1 Dash Chris Ruckus on Synths Directions: *Preheat the recording studio to 65 degrees. Add all of the ingredients together in “One Big … Read more