New Killer America

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.

New Killer America
Studio album by
Skrape
ReleasedMarch 20, 2001
Recorded2000, Orlando, FL
GenreNu metal[1]
Length44:42
LabelRCA Records
ProducerUlrich Wild
Skrape chronology
New Killer America
(2001)		 Up the Dose
(2004)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
Sputnikmusic[3]

Background, recording and promotion

Skrape were signed to RCA Records in October 1999, and commenced recording their debut New Killer America in 2000. The songs "Broken Knees", "Blow Up", "Goodbye", "Kill Control", "Sunshine", "Waste" and "What You Say" were all rerecorded for the album, having previously appeared on the demo which caught the attention of RCA Records.[4] 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."[5] The album had already been completed by the summer of 2000, despite eventually being released in the spring of 2001.[6]

A music video for "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.[7]

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."[8]

Reception and legacy

It went on to sell only approximately 100,000+ copies in the United States, a relatively low number for a major label act at the time. Despite this, the album was a success in Japan, becoming the twelfth highest selling album of 2001 in the country.[9]

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."[2] 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."[9]

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.[10]

Track listing
  1. "What You Say" – 3:22
  2. "Waste" – 3:29
  3. "Goodbye" – 3:27
  4. "Isolated" – 3:55
  5. "Rise" – 2:57
  6. "Sunshine" – 3:59
  7. "Rake" – 3:18
  8. "I Know" – 3:53
  9. "Kill Control" – 4:15
  10. "Broken Knees" – 4:05
  11. "Sleep" – 3:22
  12. "Blow Up" – 4:37
  • The Japanese version of the album features 2 bonus tracks, "No" and "Virgin"

References
  1. https://www.34st.com/article/2001/07/node-1325
  2. "New Killer America - Skrape". Allmusic.
  3. "Skrape - New Killer America (album review ) - Sputnikmusic". www.sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  4. "Jojo demo". 3 February 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2017 – via YouTube.
  5. "Skrape scratches its way onto the charts - Pause & Play CD and Music Site". 29 April 2001. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  6. Columnist, Tyler Gray, Sentinel. "SMART HIP-HOP AT PHAT 'N' JAZZY". OrlandoSentinel.com. Retrieved Jul 24, 2020.
  7. "Band members bios and history of Skrape". 8 November 2005. Archived from the original on 8 November 2005. Retrieved 1 September 2017.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. "Skrape on Altarnative.com". 7 April 2001. Archived from the original on 7 April 2001. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  9. Records, RCA. "SKRAPE Return With Potent Sophomore Album 'Up The Dose' on September 23". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  10. "30 Best Nu-Metal Songs, Ranked". 17 May 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
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