by Greg PratoGrunge is often thought of as being closely aligned with punk -- after all, the movement did effectively strip rock free of gloss and pretentiousness -- several Seattle bands must have also had a few prog releases in their LP collections. This claim could definitely be said about Soundgarden (who never turned down a whacky time signature offer), as well as Skin Yard. Although lesser known than early 90s grunge chart toppers, Skin Yard was an important act -- led by renowned producer Jack Endino, the group issued a handful of underrated releases during a seven year career, including their 1988 sophomore full length, Hallowed Ground.' But don't be misled, although there are indeed some tricky bits included here, it's not music that has been slaved over in the studio and dissected -- the members' punk backgrounds are certainly reflected in the live-in-the-room production. Standouts include the album-opening"Stranger" (which musically, is comparable to early Shudder To Think),"Open Fist" (with melodic vocals that bring to mind Bob Mould), and the groove-y title track.