Doll Skin was an American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band from

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

, United States. The original band members met at School of Rock Scottsdale. Their sound blended a blend of punk, metal, alternative, and pop. Doll Skin has been compared to bands ranging from

The Donnas The Donnas were an American rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1993. The band consisted of Brett Anderson (lead vocals), Allison Robertson (guitar, backing vocals), Maya Ford (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Torry Castellano (dr ...

The Go-Go's The Go-Go's are an American all-female Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. Except for short periods when other musicians joined briefly, the band has had a relatively stable lineup consisting of Charlotte Caffey on lead guitar ...

The Runaways The Runaways were an American rock band who recorded and performed from 1975 to 1979. Formed in 1975 in Los Angeles, the band released four studio albums and one live album during its run. Among their best-known songs are " Cherry Bomb", " Holl ...

. They have received press coverage in ''

Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political r ...

'', ''

Phoenix New Times ''Phoenix New Times'' is a free digital and print media company based in Phoenix, Arizona. ''Phoenix'' ''New Times'' publishes daily online coverage of local news, restaurants, music, arts, cannabis, as well as longform narrative journalism. A ...

'' ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'', ''

Rock Sound ''Rock Sound'' is a British magazine that covers rock music. The magazine aims at being more " underground" and less commercial, while also giving coverage to better-known acts. It generally focuses on pop punk, post-hardcore, metalcore, punk, ...

'', ''

Kerrang ''Kerrang!'' is a British music webzine and quarterly magazine that primarily covers rock, punk and heavy metal music. Since 2017, the magazine has been published by Wasted Talent Ltd (the same company that owns electronic music publication ...

'' and ''

Bravewords ''Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles'' (''BW&BK'') is a Canadian heavy metal website and former magazine. Although based in Toronto, Canada, ''BW&BK'' features writers from the US, Germany and the UK, allowing the magazine to represent metal music f ...

''.

History

2013–2014: Formation

In 2013, the members began their collaborative work. The initial goal of the project was to compete in a local battle of the bands called Rock Revolution, at

Desert Mountain High School Desert Mountain High School (DMHS) is a public high school in northeast Scottsdale, Arizona, which opened in the fall of 1995. It is the newest of five high schools in the Scottsdale Unified School District. The school has four computer labs, m ...

in Scottsdale, AZ. In attendance that night was

David Ellefson David Ellefson is an American musician, best known for his long tenure as the bassist and backing vocalist for thrash metal band Megadeth across two stints. Ellefson initially became an accomplished bassist and honed his songwriting skills whi ...

, bassist of the band

Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal—alo ...

, and a judge. Doll Skin won first place that year with a nearly perfect score, with their time on stage leaving Ellefson convinced of their potential. He approached them a year later after following their local activity with an offer to manage and produce their music. In November 2014, Doll Skin competed in and were a finalist in the

Alice Cooper Vincent Damon Furnier (born February 4, 1948), known by his stage name Alice Cooper, is an American rock singer and songwriter whose career spans sixty years. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusion ...

's "Proof Is In The Pudding" music competition. A cover of

Mariah Carey's #1 to Infinity was a concert residency by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. It began on May 6, 2015, and concluded on July 18, 2017. The show featured all eighteen of Carey's US number-one s ...

All I Want for Christmas Is You "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her fourth studio album and first holiday album, ''Merry Christmas'' (1994). She wrote and produced the song with Walter Afanasieff. It was released a ...

" recorded by the band appears on the compilation album ''Alice Cooper's Taste of Christmas Pudding 2015'' the following year. In December 2014, they were featured in the ''

'' as one of the 10 Best Bands and Musicians in Phoenix Under the Age of 21. In March 2015, they were again featured in the ''Phoenix New Times'' as one of the top 15 bands to watch for in 2015. In April 2015, they were the cover story of the ''North Valley Magazine'' as "Teen Sensations" rock band.

2015–2018: EMP Label Group

In October 2015, Doll Skin released their debut EP, ''In Your Face'' via

EMP Label Group EMP Label Group, also known as Ellefson Music Productions, is an American record label formed in October 2015, which was founded by former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson. History In October 2015 it was announced that Ellefson had launched a re ...

and distributed by

Megaforce Records Megaforce Records is an American independent record label founded in 1982 by Jon Zazula and his wife Marsha Zazula to release the first works of Metallica, and devoted primarily to hard rock and heavy metal. It has offices in New York City (whe ...

(a division of

Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...

RED Distribution RED Music, stylized RED MUSIC, formerly RED Distribution, LLC (Relativity Entertainment Distribution) was a Sony Music, Sony-owned sales and marketing division that merged under The Orchard (company), The Orchard in 2017. RED previously hand ...

) in North America. The record was produced by

. ''In Your Face'' was mixed by the American record producer, sound engineer, former owner of Crush Recording Studios in Scottsdale, Arizona and founder of Area 52 Entertainment in Los Angeles, California,

Ryan Greene Ryan Greene is an American record producer, sound engineer, former owner of Crush Recording Studios in Scottsdale, Arizona and founder of Area 52 Entertainment in Los Angeles, California. He has worked with many artists including Jay-Z, Lita For ...

. In November 2015, Doll Skin was again referenced by the ''Phoenix New Times'' as the No. 1 band under the age of 21 in Phoenix, Arizona by stating that "It would be wholly impossible to discuss underage bands in Phoenix who are rocking it out without bringing Doll Skin up first.". In December 2015, ''In Your Face'' was released in Europe, Asia and Australia by Cargo Records. The EP, and first single, "Family of Strangers", has received airplay on many prominent stations in the US, Europe and Asia, including the influential LA Rock station

KROQ KROQ-FM (106.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Pasadena, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock format known as "The World Famous KROQ" (pronounced "kay-rock"). The sta ...

, and their debut song "Family of Strangers" landed on the

CMJ CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events, online media company and a distributor of up and coming music CDs, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music ...

Loud Rock Chart at No. 34. In January 2016, Doll Skin was included in a list of the "10 Best Female Fronted Bands In Phoenix" by the ''Phoenix New Times''. In November 2016, Doll Skin was awarded the 'Best Break Through Band' by Heavy Metal Television. The award was presented by Ed Masley, the music and entertainment reporter for ''

The Arizona Republic ''The Arizona Republic'' is an American daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain. History Early years The newspap ...

''. In December 2016, ''

'' Magazine featured Doll Skin in the article "7 of the best rising bands under 21" stating: "Don’t let the rainbow hair fool you: Doll Skin are one rough and tough act to follow. Expressing themselves as “glitter-fueled, teenage, punk-rock superheroes,” these Southwest rockers are definitely more than just a pretty face, having toured extensively around the West Coast with bands as diverse as

Dead Kennedys Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run. Initially consisting of lead guitarist East Bay Ray, bassist Klaus Fl ...

and

Escape The Fate Escape the Fate is an American rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, formed in 2004. Originally from Pahrump, Nevada, the group currently consists of lead vocalist Craig Mabbitt, guitarists Matti Hoffman, Erik Jensen and drummer Robert Ortiz. Ortiz ...

." On January 1, 2017, Stone Chrome Radio & TV announced that Doll Skin won the 2016 Listener's Choice Award for "Favorite Female Fronted Band". On June 16, 2017, Doll Skin released their full-length debut album ''Manic Pixie Dream Girl''. It debuted on the Billboard Heat-seeker chart at No. 6 and moved up one spot to No. 5 in week two.

2019–2023: Hopeless Records debut, ''Love Is Dead and We Killed Her,'' and break-up

In April, 2019,

Taco Bell Taco Bell Corp. is an American multinational chain of fast food restaurants founded in 1962 by Glen Bell (1923–2010) in Downey, California. Taco Bell is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. The restaurants serve a variety of Mexican-inspired ...

announced that Doll Skin was added as a member of the Spring 2019 Feed The Beat roster. Since 2006, Taco Bell and its "Feed the Beat" program has helped support more than 1,600 touring artists/bands. Taco Bell provides them with free food while on tour and exposure for those artists by giving them a stage at events around the country, featuring their music in national television commercials, and providing amplification through Taco Bell's social presence. In April 2019, Doll Skin announced that they signed with

Hopeless Records Hopeless Records is an American independent record label in Van Nuys, California. History Hopeless Records was founded in 1993 by Louis Posen. The label's artists are generally considered to fall under the genres of punk rock, pop punk, post-ha ...

, along with the release of their third studio album ''Love Is Dead And We Killed Her'' on June 28, 2019. The band also dropped a '' The Craft''-inspired video for the first single "Mark My Words" on April 23 earlier the same year. On September 24, Doll Skin were revealed to one of the bands to appear on Hopeless Records' ''Songs That Saved My Life Vol. 2'', a charity compilation album released by the label to raise funds for mental health and suicide prevention organizations. The band appears on the album with a cover of the

Florence + The Machine Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

song "

Shake It Out "Shake It Out" is a song by English indie rock band Florence and the Machine, released as the first official single from their second studio album, ''Ceremonials'' (2011). It was written by Florence Welch and Paul Epworth, while production was ...

", dedicating the track to long-time supporter and personal friend of the band Robb Veloz, who had passed away earlier the same year. In December 2019, ''

'' ranked "Mark My Words" at No. 14 on their list of 'The 25 Best Rock & Alternative Songs of 2019'. Additionally, Cryptic Rock Magazine selected ''Love Is Dead And We Killed Her'' as one of the Top 5 Punk Rock Albums of 2019. In December 2020, Nicole Rich and Alex Snowden announced their departure from the band. Snowden joined the

nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, with a metal umlaut) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop music, hip hop, funk, industrial music, industrial, and grunge. Nu ...

band Tallah while Rich moved to Los Angeles and opened a jewelry business called Shop Strawbaby. On July 15, 2022, Meghan Herring announced her departure from the band. On January 12, 2023, Doll Skin announced their break-up and Doll Skin Funeral (final show), which was performed at The Rebel Lounge (

The Mason Jar The Mason Jar was a nightclub and music venue in Phoenix, Arizona. It featured rock music, alternative rock, punk rock, hip hop, and heavy metal in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Many famous bands such as Nirvana, Rob Zombie, The Ramones, Joan Jett ...

) on March 12. The band's original members – Meghan Herring, Nicole Sander (née Rich), and Alex Snowden – reunited for this final performance and played during the majority of Doll Skin's set. Other guests included touring members (see Band Member Doll Skin Alumni section below) that were recruited after Sander, Snowden and Herring's departures. The last song Doll Skin performed was "Family Of Strangers" which vocalist Syd mentioned prior to performing the song it was the first original song Doll Skin wrote together. On March 6, the band would announce its final song "Melancholia" for release on April 5, 2023. In an Instagram live stream on April 5, Dolezal and Herring announced that demos of unfinished songs would be released for free online, but didn't state when.

Band members

Former members * Syd Dolezal – lead vocals (2013–2023), rhythm guitar (2014–2020) * Meghan Herring – drums, backing vocals (2013–2022, 2023) * Alex Snowden – lead guitar, backing vocals (2013–2020, 2023) * Nicole Sander (née Rich) – bass, backing vocals (2013–2020, 2023) * Liz Adams – rhythm guitar (2013–2014) Touring members ''(Post 2020 Snowden/Sander Departure – Touring, One-Off Performances and March 2023 Doll Skin Funeral)'' * Aria Hurtado – lead guitar (2021, Doll Skin Funeral) * Cameron Gile – bass, rhythm guitar (2021) * Chloe Lindeback – lead guitar (2021, Doll Skin Funeral) * Chris Marchant – saxophone (Doll Skin Funeral) * Donovan Lloyd – lead guitar (2022) * Kenzie Halliday – rhythm guitar (2021, Doll Skin Funeral) * Max Calkins – backing vocals (Doll Skin Funeral) * Molly Mashal – backing vocals, lead guitar (2021, Doll Skin Funeral) * Shelby McVicker – rhythm guitar (2021) * Syd "Scoot" McVicker – lead guitar, drums (2022), drums (Doll Skin Funeral) * Tay Fischer – bass (2021–2022, Doll Skin Funeral) * Torri Ross – backing vocals (2021–2022, Doll Skin Funeral), bass (2021), rhythm guitar (2021), lead guitar (2022, Doll Skin Funeral), drums (2021, 2022) * Wes Spaulding – bass (2022) Timeline

Awards

Heavy Metal Television Awards , - , 2016 , , Doll Skin , , Breakout Band Of The Year , , Stone Chrome Radio Listener's Choice Awards , - , 2016 , , Doll Skin , , Favorite Female Fronted Band Of The Year , , , - , 2017 , , Doll Skin , , Female Artist Of The Year , , , - , 2017 , , Doll Skin / "Daughter" , , Song Of The Year , , Billboard Magazine , - , 2019 , , Doll Skin / "Mark My Words" , , Best Rock & Alternative Songs of the Year (#14) , , Cryptic Rock , - , 2019 , , Doll Skin / "Love is Dead and We Killed Her" , , Best Punk Albums of 2019 , ,

Discography

Demos

* ''Live at The Trunk Space'' (Self-Released, 2014) * ''Live at Wolfstock'' (Self-Released, 2014) * ''Guts & Glitter'' (Self-Released, 2014)

Studio releases

* ''In Your Face'' EP (EMP, 2015) * ''In Your Face (Again)'' (EMP, 2016) * ''Manic Pixie Dream Girl'' (EMP, 2017) * '' Love Is Dead and We Killed Her'' (Hopeless, 2019)

Other appearances

* ''Vans Warped Tour '18'' 2XCD (SideOneDummy, 2018) – "Baby's Breath" arious artist compilation* ''Ellefson-Sleeping Giants'' (Combat/EMP, 2019) – "Daughter" avid Ellefson sampler* ''Songs That Saved My Life, Vol. 2'' (Hopeless/Sub City, 2019) – "Shake It Out"

Florence And The Machine Florence and the Machine (stylised as Florence + the Machine) are an English indie rock band formed in London in 2007 by lead vocalist Florence Welch, keyboardist Isabella Summers, guitarist Rob Ackroyd, drummer Christopher Lloyd Hayden and harp ...

cover, various artist compilation] * "Parents" by Noahfinnce, NOAHFINNCE featuring Doll Skin [Yungblud, YUNGBLUD cover, non-album single]

''In Your Face'' (2015)

''In Your Face (Again)'' (2016)

''Manic Pixie Dream Girl'' (2017)

Charted songs/albums

Tours

* Jan 2016:

Metal Allegiance Metal Allegiance is an American thrash metal supergroup formed on Long Island, New York, in 2014 by bassist and songwriter Mark Menghi. Shortly after, he recruited bassist David Ellefson (formerly of Megadeth), guitarist Alex Skolnick (from Tes ...

West Coast Tour (direct support) * Jan–Feb 2016: Ship Rocked Cruise 2016 * Mar–Apr 2016: Doll Skin Family of Strangers Tour * Apr–May 2016: Generation Doom 2016 North American Tour (with

OTEP Otep was an American nu metal band. The band was formed in November 2000 in Los Angeles by frontwoman Otep Shamaya. The band is noted for their style of "art-house nu metal", and their strong political stances. Throughout the course of several ...

Lacey Sturm Lacey Nicole Sturm ( Mosley, previously Carder; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer and songwriter, known for being lead vocalist of the alternative rock band Flyleaf (band), Flyleaf. In February 2016, Sturm became the first solo femal ...

September Mourning September Mourning is an American alternative metal band that incorporates a transmedia dark culture project created by Emily Lazar and Marc Silvestri. The conceptual project was formed by frontwoman, vocalist, and screamer Emily Lazar in N ...

, & Through Fire) * Jun 2016: We’re All In This Together Tour (with

Hellyeah Hellyeah, stylized as HELLYEAH, was an American heavy metal supergroup formed in Dallas, Texas, in 2006. The band's last lineup consisted of lead vocalist Chad Gray, guitarists Christian Brady and Tom Maxwell, bassist Kyle Sanders, and drum ...

Escape the Fate Escape the Fate is an American rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, formed in 2004. Originally from Pahrump, Nevada, the group currently consists of lead vocalist Craig Mabbitt, guitarists Matti Hoffman, Erik Jensen and drummer Robert Ortiz. Ortiz ...

, & Sunflower Dead) * Jul–Aug 2016: Equal Rights, Equal Lefts Tour (with

, Fire from the Gods) * May 2017: Shut Up Tour * June 2017:

Vans Warped Tour The Warped Tour is a touring rock music festival that toured the United States and Canada each summer from 1995 until 2019, and returned in 2025 for its 30th anniversary. By 2015, Warped was the largest traveling music festival in the United S ...

– Vans Warped Tour 2017 * June–Aug 2017: Shut Up Tour (Part 2) * Sept–Oct 2017: Something Wicked Tour (with

One-Eyed Doll One-Eyed Doll was an American Gothic rock, gothic rock music, rock duo based in Austin, Texas, which was voted the Best Punk Band in 2009, 2010 and 2011 at the Austin Music Awards at SXSW. One-Eyed Doll officially retired on May 21, 2021, after ...

) * Jan–Feb 2018: Rock The Boat Tour * Jan 2018: Ship Rocked Cruise 2018 * Mar 2018: Europe/UK Manic Pixie Dream Tour * Jun–Aug 2018:

– Vans Warped Tour 2018 * Aug 2018: United Kingdom/Europe Tour * May–Jul 2019: From The Screen To Your Stereo Tour (with

New Found Glory New Found Glory (formerly A New Found Glory) is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Coral Springs, Florida, in 1997. The band currently consists of Jordan Pundik (lead vocals), Ian Grushka (bass), Chad Gilbert (guitar, backing vocals), ...

, Real Friends, and

The Early November The Early November is an American rock band from New Jersey. The group formed in 2001 and signed with Drive-Thru Records in 2002. , they have released two EPs '' For All of This'' (2002) and '' The Acoustic EP'' (2002) and seven full-length a ...

) * Jul 2019:

– Vans Warped Tour 25 Years (Mountain View) * Aug–Sep 2019: United Kingdom/Europe Tour (with

Trash Boat Trash Boat are a British punk rock band formed in St Albans in 2014. The group consist of Tobi Duncan (lead vocals), Dann Bostock (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Ryan Hyslop (lead guitar), James Grayson (bass, backing vocals), and Oakley Moffa ...

, Capstan, and The Woes) * Nov–Dec 2019: US Tour (with

With Confidence With Confidence was an Australian pop punk band from Sydney, active from 2012 until their disbandment in 2022. The band’s last line up consisted of lead vocalist/bassist Jayden Seeley, guitarist/backing vocalist Inigo Del Carmen, drummer Josh ...

Seaway (band) Seaway is a Canadian rock band from Oakville, Ontario signed to Pure Noise Records and Dine Alone Records. The band has released three EPs and four studio albums. History Formation and early releases (2011–2013) Seaway formed in 2011 in Oakvill ...

, Between You And Me) * Mar 2020: US Tour with

Anti-Flag Anti-Flag was an American punk rock band formed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1988. The band was known for its left-wing politics, left-wing political activism. For the majority of the band's career, their members included Justin Sane (voc ...

and

Grade 2 (band) Grade 2 is an England, English Musical ensemble, band from Ryde on the Isle of Wight, consisting of bassist and lead vocalist Sid Ryan, guitarist Jack Chatfield and drummer Jacob Hull. Their music is described as a classic punk sound, and featur ...

Endorsements

Doll Skin has been endorsed by Music Man, Sinister Guitar Picks,

Schecter Guitar Research Schecter Guitar Research, commonly known simply as Schecter, is an American manufacturing company founded in 1976 by David Schecter, which originally produced only replacement parts for existing guitars from manufacturers such as Fender and Gib ...

, ISP Technologies, Beier Drums,

D'Addario D'Addario () is a family-owned and operated American multinational company that specializes in musical instrument accessories, headquartered in Farmingdale, Long Island, New York. D'Addario is the world’s largest musical instrument access ...

Blackstar Amplification Blackstar Amplification is a British company that produces and manufacturers Instrument amplifier, guitar amplifiers and effects units. The company was founded by a group of ex-Marshall Amplification, Marshall employees, most notably Bruce Keir, ...

, Hartke Systems,

Korg , founded as Keio Electronic Laboratories, is a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures electronic musical instrument An electronic musical instrument or electrophone is a musical instrument that produces sound using electr ...

, Lag Guitars, SJC Drums, Samson, and Sonal Percussions.

References

External links

*
Reverbnation
{{Authority control Musical groups established in 2013 American musical quartets Musical groups from Phoenix, Arizona American pop punk groups Riot grrrl bands American alternative metal musical groups Female-fronted musical groups Hopeless Records artists Alternative rock groups from Arizona 2013 establishments in Arizona

History

2013–2014: Formation

2015–2018: EMP Label Group

2019–2023: Hopeless Records debut, ''Love Is Dead and We Killed Her,'' and break-up

Band members

Awards

Discography

Demos

Studio releases

Other appearances

''In Your Face'' (2015)

''In Your Face (Again)'' (2016)

''Manic Pixie Dream Girl'' (2017)

Charted songs/albums

Tours

Endorsements

See also

References

External links