SKRAPE "NEW KILLER AMERICA"
SKRAPE COME OUT...UM...SWINGING. THE FIRST CUT, "WHAT YOU SAY", ISN'T BAD. ITS RIFF HEAVY METAL SANS THE WICKEE-WICKEE-WACK DEEJAY NU METAL BULLSHIT AND THATS REFRESHING BUT THE FIRST THING I NOTICE IS THAT SKRAPE'S SINGER SOUNDS ALMOST EXACTLY LIKE THE GUY FROM FILTER. STRIKE ONE.
THE SECOND TRACK, "WASTE", HAS ARRIVED AND MY ATTENTION IS ALREADY WANING. THIS SECOND CUT HAS A SEVENDUST FEEL RIGHT FROM THE START AND FROM WHAT I CAN DECODE, THE LYRICS LEAVE A LOT TO BE DESIRED, "PUNCH TO THE FACE MAKES YOU HIT THE FLOOR", THESE GUYS CERTAINLY AREN'T REWRITING "LEAVES OF GRASS" HERE. YAWN... ON TO THE NEXT TRACK.
I DON'T KNOW WHICH CUT IS "THE SINGLE" BUT I'M GUESSING ITS THE THIRD CUT, "GOODBYE" AND BY THIS TIME THE GUYS ARE GETTING PRETTY GAY.
IF I HEARD THIS ON THE RADIO I'D DEFINITELY BE REACHING FOR THE DIAL HOPING FOR SOME FOOTBALL AND BEER COMMERCIALS.
THE REST OF THE RECORD IS A MIXED BAG OF MEDIOCRE MELODY AND GROOVE. SKRAPE IS UNABASHED, WEARING THEIR NU-METAL INFLUENCES ON THEIR SLEEVE, AT LEAST THEY BETTER BE BECAUSE ITS REAL OBVIOUS. I WILL SAY THEY DO A DECENT JOB OF ADDING THEIR OWN NUANCES HERE AND THERE, BUT NOT ENOUGH TO SET THEM APART. SKRAPE IS RHYTHM HEAVY AND RIFF FRIENDLY BUT THEY NEED TO BEEF UP IN THE ORIGINALITY DEPARTMENT.
SOME BANDS ARE CATCHY AND LEAVE YOU WONDERING, "WHERE THE FUCK DID I HEAR THAT PART FROM?" AND YOU CAN NEVER REMEMBER WHERE. SKRAPE LEAVES YOU ASKING "WHAT BAND DID THEY STEAL THAT MELODY FROM" AND ITS USUALLY PRETTY OBVIOUS AFTER A FEW MINUTES OF RECOLLECTION.
I WILL SAY SKRAPE DOES HAVE DECENT STUFF GOING ON HERE AND THERE. YOU COULD PROBABLY WHITTLE DOWN THE 12 DECENT SONGS HERE INTO 3 OR 4 AMAZING SONGS. I HAD TO TURN THE CD OFF BECAUSE EVERY SONG WAS LIKE PLAYING "NAME THAT TUNE" AND IT WAS DRIVING ME CRAZY. THIS IS WHAT I LIKE TO CALL MEDI-O-CORE.
FOR FANS OF FILTER, SEVENDUST, ALICE IN CHAINS, DEFTONES, PAPA ROACH AND MAYBE TOOL. CHECK IT OUT.
