Skrape

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In a heavy rock world so dominated by cowardly copycats, Skrape walks alone, bulldozing the competition with single-minded fury. "We went against everything that everybody told us," says drummer Will Hunt. "We didn't want to do it the way everyone else has done it. It's like when your mom tells you not to put your hand on the stove and the first thing you do when she leaves the room is put your hand on the stove."



Skrape's heart, born in Orlando, lies outside that entertainment megalopoly in the wasteland of Florida's real music scene. Skrape members themselves have done time in bands like the Genitorturers, Stuck Mojo, and even a Beastie Boys Tribute. "As far as we were concerned we were the most uncool band around," admits Hunt. "Orlando was in a time warp. We liked it that way because when people hate us, which they did, that fueled us."



As the band formed in the late 90's, they made brilliant strategic decisions.. Instead of playing live constantly, they'd only play occasionally, making each concert an event. They'd headline a club packed with frenzied fans, reduce the place to rubble, then slip away, sometimes for months at a time. No one was quite sure who they were or where they came from, yet people remembered the animal ferocity of Skrape. Instead of recording their own indie CD, they'd invest in quality demos.



This strategy paid off. Skrape soon emerged as one of the most sought after unsigned bands in the country. Showcases resulted in offers from several labels with RCA being the band's ultimate choice.



The next step, in addition to cultivating a seething image-was to record an album. Together with producer Ulrich Wilde, Skrape aimed to redefine the outer boundaries of rock. Says Hunt, "We never wanted to be anywhere in between."



A quick survey of New Killer America confirms his words. The album's opening shot "What You Say" and the closing barrage "Blow Up" bookend one of the year's most extreme musical statements. Still, despite the band's hard edge, Skrape clearly exhibits a knack for melody, as tracks like "Waste", "Isolated" and "Rake" attest. Even when a song like "Kill Control" downshifts slightly, the band experiences minimal melodic loss even amid the white-knuckled sweep. "We wanted to knock people right in the teeth with this record," says Hunt. "Skrape is not just about chops and fashion; it's about attitude and where your heart lies."



Another divergence that separates Skrape from its new metal peers is its positive mental foundation. "It seems like a lot of today's harder edged bands are crying the blues, this 'everything sucks' thing. Screw that! Everybody's fucked up. We say, 'Get up! Make a difference in your own life! Don't feel sorry for yourself. Do something about it."



Not only do they thrive on raw emotion, they draw from their hard luck experiences each had growing up. "We've all come up hard in a lot of ways," says Hunt. "By age eighteen we were all on our own. But that's part of our soul. We've worked and fought for everything we have. That's how it's been for us and unless this band takes off, that's how it will be."



If quality and urgency are indicators, better days are indeed ahead for Skrape. "We knew when we got all the members in place that we'd have incredible potential. After that, it was about looking in the mirror at what we'd come up with and being brutally honest. Was it the best we could do? We were ultra-critical and attacked every part of what we were doing."



New Killer America benefits from the band's monomaniacal scrutiny and diligence. "It's hard enough to break into this business," says Hunt. "But we don't want to simply break in, we want a career."