Skin Like Iron/Nails

Busting out of the gate atop a punchy, melodic attack descended from '90s Epitaph skate punk, San Francisco, CA's Skin Like Iron have their hands on the horns while taking the lead on this split. "Disappear" radiates high energy and has plenty of animosity dialled in. It's the harsh screams from frontman Alex Capasso that propel both of their tracks from the hands of the grinders into a new level of ferocity, though "The Parade" is the more accessible of the pair. At the mid-point, it's Oxnard, CA trio Nails that boil over, using the callous "Annihilation" as their preferred weapon of choice, filling the bulk of their half of the record with frustrated, malicious hardcore. Between this and the 24-second "Cry Wolf," Nails stay true to their M.O., as these bursts are kept short, yet are more than enough to whet the appetites of those gouging the door trying to discover how much damage their upcoming LP will inflict.