| New Killer America | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 20, 2001 | |||
| Recorded | 2000, Orlando, FL | |||
| Genre | Nu metal[1] | |||
| Length | 44:42 | |||
| Label | RCA Records | |||
| Producer | Ulrich Wild | |||
| Skrape chronology | ||||
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New Killer America is the debut album by the five-piece nu metal/alternative metal music group Skrape. The album was released on March 20, 2001 via RCA Records.
Skrape were signed to RCA Records in October 1999, and commenced recording their debut New Killer America in 2000. They had originally formed in Orlando, Florida during 1997 under the name "Jojo", having only played a small number of shows together prior to getting signed.[2] Once signed, the band played no shows over the next nine to ten months, as they spent this period of time focusing on the making of the album.[2] The songs "Broken Knees", "Blow Up", "Goodbye", "Kill Control", "Sunshine", "Waste" and "What You Say" were all rerecorded for New Killer America, having previously appeared on the demo which caught the attention of RCA Records.[3] Regarding the making of the album, guitarist/keyboardist Brian Milner stated in April 2001 "We had most of the songs done and then we did preproduction and met with Ulrich Wild. He came to Orlando where we live and spent a few weeks going over the songs and getting them ready. He was like, ‘Look, this is going to go on a recording forever. This is your first album, so make sure it’s what you want to come out.’ We did a lot of preproduction, worked it out and did what I think is a pretty kickass record."[2] The album had already been completed by the summer of 2000, despite eventually being released in the spring of 2001.[4]
A music video for the single "Waste" was filmed in 2000. It shows the band performing in a dark venue intercut with gory footage and images of a shooting target. A much rarer video for "What You Say" was also produced in 2001, depicting a live performance intercut with anime scenes.[5]
To support the album, Skrape went on an American tour with Disturbed, which began on March 16, 2001.[6] Later in 2001, Skrape embarked on the Extreme Steel Tour of North America, with Morbid Angel, Pantera, Slayer and Static-X.[7] The tour was Pantera's last in America prior to their original breakup. On August 19, 2001, Skrape performed at the Summer Sonic Festival in Japan.[8]
When asked about the album's title, bassist Pete Sison remarked in a March 2001 interview that "It represents the new generation of kids today. Kids today are more open minded, and are much smarter than we give them credit for at the age of 13. Most parents are blind to this. You have kids hacking computers and shutting down million dollar companies nowadays. That's the new generation — that's the new killer America."[9]
The art direction of the album was handled by Tracy Boychuk, with photography by Dan Winters.[10][11] Boychuk was also the art director for The Strokes' album Is This It, which was released later in 2001 on RCA.[12] The cover artwork features a closeup shot of one of the infected fingers of Lorin Finkelstein, an RCA executive.[13] In a 2018 interview, vocalist Billy Keeton recalled "we were all just blown away and mesmerized by how his hands looked at that time. I think there was some kind of medical thing going on."[13] The photo was captured by Winters while they were taking other gory photos used throughout the album's booklet, including shots of animal guts.[13]
The two singles "Waste" and "Isolated" received some airplay in 2001, with "Isolated" being picked up by the popular Florida station WJRR.[7] By the beginning of June 2001, the album had sold 50,000 copies.[7] It went on to sell approximately 100,000+ units in the United States, a relatively low number for a major label act at the time. The album was more of a success in Japan, becoming the twelfth highest selling album of 2001 in the country.[14]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [15] |
| Sputnikmusic | [16] |
AllMusic's Jeremy Ervins praised the record's "bright and intelligent approach to hard rock" and "mysterious aura", writing "The band's energy seems to be directed toward song craftsmanship; every song flows very nicely and has its own distinct vibe, while sticking to the overall concept of the album. The guitars tends to sound slightly dry and dull from time to time, which can relate to the lack of creative range in the heavy hard rock genre. New Killer America is obviously intended to quell this obstacle, as it does with much style and grace on most tracks -- especially "Sleep," a very melodic tune that, despite its title, really awakens the senses toward the end of the album."[15] In their review, Guitar World stated the album "fuses brutal metallic riffs, Deftones-inspired swirl [and] impassioned growls that evoke Alice in Chains' most painful moments."[14] In June 2001, Mark Padgett of the Orlando Weekly called it a "a sure-footed strike, fueled by punishing power chords, touches of techno-synth and tough-guy themes."[7]
In his March 2001 review, Adam Pugh of the Arizona Daily Wildcat gave it a C rating, writing "Skrape tries to pretend that it has made something new. In reality, it has ripped off the vocals of Chino Moreno from the Deftones and shamelessly stolen Korn's guitarists." He added, "the music, despite its 'borrowed' status, is very well done, incorporating punchy rhythms and exhilarating screams. The vocals are clean, something which makes the band sound great, but each song sounds like a band we've all heard before."[17] Jeffrey M. Barr of The Lantern also had a mixed review, writing in June 2001 that "the CD is easy to find at the local record shop because of its gross and disturbing cover of an infected toenail. Then there is the music that comes off as loud and intense. And then the band becomes instantly recognizable, even if their music isn't that entertaining or well-crafted." Barr labelled the track "Goodbye" as one of the best songs of the album, saying it sounded "almost identical to the band Filter's style of music". He concluded his review by stating that "Skrape is not the most original band to come around, but they do have a sound that many people will like."[18]
The song "What You Say" appeared in the videogame Project Gotham Racing. In 2017, Spin ranked "Waste" as the 29th greatest nu metal song of all time.[19]
Production
