Album will please average
listeners
 By
Quinn Kirsch
Staff Writer
Nearly all of the metal groups of our generation
have one thing in common: they are pissed off.
The debut album "New Killer America,"
by Skrape, comes at you with the same image and attitude along with
some banging metal guitar riffs that will definitely please the average
metal head.
However, this album does not offer much new material
to the metal scene, and this band’s career will likely be limited
to nothing bigger than a spot on the OzzFest second stage.
New metal artists such as Papa Roach and Linkin
Park have successfully crossed over into MTV generation with notable
pop radio success; Skrape probably does not have what it takes.
The album starts with several good songs. Each
song has its own sound, so listening does not get monotonous.
Some songs contain a more of a digitally enhanced
quality, while others stick to straightforward power.
However, throughout each song, the band's influences
are clearly evident and originality can be at a shortage.
In the first song, "What You Say," echoing
vocals backed up by a second vocalist are reminiscent of "One Step
Closer," by Linkin Park, along with crunchy Fear Factory guitars
effects.
Lead singer, Billy Keeton’s voice resembles
Richard Patrick's, of Filter, throughout the album.
The album's lyrics, for the most part, are defiant
and violent, which certainly is not a new thing for rock 'n' roll, but
they make the listener want to break something.
The refrain of the fifth song, "Rise,"
begins with the obscure phrase, "I won’t give up till the
blood soaks my fingers/I recognize the difference is my fingers/Rise
up in the fold." This does not make sense, but it seems to work
in this song.
"Waste," the first single released for
radio, features screaming vocals along with head-banging guitar riffs
and keyboard effects. But when the chorus comes around, Skrape uses
an effect that can be best described as a digital slide whistle. This
kills the edge of the song.
The third song, "Goodbye," also contains
a digital chime that, once again, sounds out of place in a metal song.
Other songs give the feel of the bouncing power
chords of Static-X, which is no surprise because Ulrich Wild, who also
produced Static-X’s debut album, "Wisconsin Death Trip,"
produces this Skrape album.
Overall, the album can be very likeable for a metal
fan. However, it does not have the raw feel or catchy riffs that many
debut albums contain that would sway most rockers.
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