A revved-up rock & roll band whose sound splits the difference between pop-punk and metal,
Doll Skin is an all-female quartet who have been kicking out the jams since they were teenagers.
Doll Skin was formed in Phoenix, Arizona in 2013 by lead singer
Sydney Dolezal, guitarist Alex Snowden, bassist Nicole Rich, and drummer Meghan Herring. The four musicians met when they were taking lessons at the Phoenix School of Rock, and formed a band to compete in Rock Revolution, a "battle of the bands" being held at a high school in Scottsdale, Arizona. One of the judges in the contest was
David Ellefson, bassist with thrash metal legends
Megadeth, and when
Doll Skin won first place, he became their mentor and manager, convinced they had what it took to make it as professionals.
Ellefson put the group on the road to hone their live act, and they toured the West Coast opening for likes of
D.R.I. and
Social Distortion. In 2015, the group released their debut recording, a six-track EP titled
In Your Face. The disc was produced by
Ellefson, and it was reissued in expanded form as
In Your Face (Again) in 2016. By that time, the Heavy Metal Television Awards honored
Doll Skin as "Best Breakthrough Band," while Alternative Press magazine featured them in an article on "Seven of the Best Rising Bands Under 21." They continued to tour extensively, headlining club dates and opening shows for
Otep,
Hellyeah,
Escape the Fate, and
the Dead Kennedys. In 2017,
Doll Skin dropped their first full-length album,
Manic Pixie Dream Girl. More touring followed, including several dates on the 2017 Vans Warped Tour, followed in 2019 by the release of the group's Hopeless Records-issued sophomore full-length effort
Love Is Dead and We Killed Her. ~ Mark Deming