Skrape was an American
heavy metal band formed in
Orlando, Florida in 1997.
History
Formed in 1997 under the name "Jojo", they later renamed to "Skrape" two years later. Prior to their formation in 1997, members had been involved in notable acts such as
Stuck Mojo
Stuck Mojo is an American rap metal band from Atlanta, formed in 1989 by bassist Dwayne Fowler. The band is considered to be one of the pioneers of rap metal. They have toured alongside bands such as Machine Head and Slapshot. Stuck Mojo's most ...
and
Genitorturers
The Genitorturers are an American industrial metal band with influences extending into the 1990s hardcore punk and electronic music. They proclaim themselves to be "The World's Sexiest Rock Band".
History
Originating in Orlando, Florida, th ...
.
[Bromley, Adrian. Keeping It Simple, '' Chart'', July 1998.]
The band managed to build up a sizeable following in their local area, despite rarely playing live shows.
After shopping around a 7 song demo to various labels, they eventually signed to
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also ...
in 1999.
In a 2001 interview, guitarist/keyboardist Brian Milner stated, "Part of that whole story about us being elusive in the beginning was because once we got our deal and started working on our album, we really didn’t play (live) for a long time. We did a few shows, then we were gone recording the record and came back in nine or 10 months and played again."
He also added that, "The first couple of gigs that we did, I wasn’t even in the band yet, and from what I hear, it was pretty awful. Nobody liked it and there were actually people who said, ‘Give it up,’ stuff like that. They didn’t understand the sound yet; it was a few years ago, so there wasn’t all this
nu-metal
Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu m ...
that’s out now."
Skrape were noted for being one of the only major label metal acts from
Orlando
Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures r ...
, an area known at the time for
teen pop
Teen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards preteens and teenagers.Lamb, Bill"Teen Pop" About.com. Retrieved January 28, 2007. Teen pop incorporates different subgenres of pop music, as well as elements of ...
artists such as
Backstreet Boys
Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson. Lou Pearlman formed the group in 1993 in Orlando, Florida.
The ...
and
NSYNC
NSYNC (, ; also stylized as *NSYNC or 'N Sync) was an American boy band formed by Chris Kirkpatrick in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich. Their self-titled debut album was successfully released to Europe ...
. Milner recalled "We go to play somewhere in Michigan and people come up to us and say, `Orlando? That's the home of the Backstreet Boys and
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
! It doesn't really have anything to do with what we do."
Their 2001 debut ''
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.
Background, recording and promotion
Skrape were signed to RCA Records in Octo ...
'' (produced by
Ulrich Wild
Ulrich Wild is an American record producer, engineer and mixer specializing in the rock and metal genres. Born and raised in Switzerland, Ulrich is now a naturalized citizen in the United States, living in Los Angeles, California. In a career th ...
) spawned two singles in "Waste" and "Isolated". Tours with popular metal bands such as
Pantera
Pantera () is an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas formed in 1981, and currently comprised of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, and touring musicians Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante. The group's best-known lineup consist ...
,
Slayer and
Morbid Angel
Morbid Angel is an American death metal band based in Tampa, Florida, formed in 1983 by guitarist, primary composer and sole remaining original member Trey Azagthoth, vocalist and bassist Dallas Ward, and drummer Mike Browning. Widely considered ...
saw the album sell in excess of 100,000 copies in the US, a relatively low number for a major label group at the time. The album experienced more success in Japan, where it was the twelfth highest selling album of 2001.
Their second album ''
Up the Dose'' was released in 2004 with little support from their label, who had recently been taken over by
J Records
J Records was an American record label owned and operated by Bertelsmann Music Group until it was transferred to Sony Music Entertainment when they acquired all of BMG’s record labels in late 2008. It was distributed through the RCA Music Gro ...
. Beforehand, the band toured with Soil,
Static-X
Static-X is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1994. The line-up has fluctuated over the years, but was long-held constant with band founder, frontman, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Wayne Static until h ...
, and Twisted Method. The album had been finished since mid-2003, and the band was set to release "Summer Song" as a single, but the album was pushed back several times, eventually being released in January. Faced with the prospect of releasing a single entitled "Summer Song" in January, they changed the name of the song to "Stand Up (Summer Song)". A couple of months after ''
Up the Dose's'' release, the band was dropped from the label. Drummer
Will Hunt
William Hunt (born September 5, 1971) is an American drummer. He has been a member of rock band Evanescence since 2007, and has also played for Skrape, Dark New Day, Black Label Society, Device, Crossfade, Staind, Static-X, and Slaughter.
...
explained "The reason we're gone, along with
Hotwire and
Eve 6
Eve 6 is an American rock band formed in 1995 in Southern California, best known for their hit singles "Inside Out," "Leech," "Here's to the Night," and "Promise." They disbanded in 2004, returned for numerous tours in 2007 with a new lineup, ...
, is because we all shared the same A&R guy, Brian Malouf, who was let go by the label a few days prior to the bands. I'd like to throw out a big, BIG fuck you to the fucking cowards at
J (for joke) Records for taking over RCA and not allowing them to promote our band correctly. I'd like to also say to
Records presidentClive Davis
Clive Jay Davis (born April 4, 1932) is an American record producer, A&R executive, record executive, and lawyer. He has won five Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer, in 2000.
From 1967 to 19 ...
that I've got a nice big hot bowl of dicks for you to eat on when you've got the time. I'd like to thank you personally for killing rock and roll and watering down the music industry with pop trappings and watered-down retro rock." He also hinted at possible future activities with Skrape, but nothing has happened other than a reunion gig in 2005 opening for Dark New Day. They are now disbanded.
In 2004, Hunt became a member of the supergroup
Dark New Day
Dark New Day was an American hard rock supergroup formed in 2004 featuring Brett Hestla of Virgos Merlot, Clint Lowery of Sevendust, Troy McLawhorn of DoubleDrive, Corey Lowery of Stereomud and Stuck Mojo, and Will Hunt of Skrape. Thei ...
, and then later
Evanescence
Evanescence is an American rock band founded in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1995 by singer and musician Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody. After recording independent EPs as a duo in the late 90's, and a demo CD, Evanescence released their de ...
. Guitarist Brian Milner went on to join
Dope as their bassist. Billy Keeton has continued to pursue his musical career with various projects, such as the short-lived Blessed in Black (featuring former members of
Nothingface). Keeton also has contributed vocals for local Florida
cover band
A cover band (or covers band) is a band that plays songs recorded by someone else, sometimes mimicking the original as accurately as possible, and sometimes re-interpreting or changing the original. These remade songs are known as cover songs. N ...
Money Shot when not working with former members of
Primer 55
Primer 55 was an American nu metal band which formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1997. The name originated from the combination of Primer, meaning "something that's unfinished", and 55, which refers to Interstate 55, "the road that drugs run on to ...
Bobby Burns (
Soulfly
Soulfly is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1997, and later based out of Phoenix, Arizona. Soulfly is led by former Sepultura frontman Max Cavalera, who formed the band after he left the Brazilian group in 1 ...
) and Kobie Jackson. Formerly titled Paris is Burning, the three have named the project King Street. Keeton currently is vocalist for
Audiotopsy, which features bassist Perry Stern as well as drummer
Matthew McDonough
Matthew McDonough (born March 12, 1969) is an American drummer best known as a member of the heavy metal band Mudvayne. He is the band's original drummer and has appeared and performed on every release by Mudvayne. He was also the original dr ...
and guitarist
Greg Tribbett
Gregory Arnold Tribbett Jr. (born November 7, 1968) is an American guitarist who is one of the founding members, lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the metal band Mudvayne. He is also the former lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the met ...
of
Mudvayne
Mudvayne is an American heavy metal band formed in Peoria, Illinois in 1996. Known for their sonic experimentation, face and body paint, masks and uniforms, the band has sold over six million records worldwide, including nearly three millio ...
.
Pete Sison was also in Moneyshot with Keeton for a short period until
Slaughter
Slaughter may refer to:
Animals
* Animal slaughter, the killing of animals for various purposes
** Ritual slaughter, the practice of slaughtering livestock in a ritual manner
*** '' Dhabihah'', the prescribed method of ritual slaughter of anim ...
offered Sison a position as a backup bassist for
Dana Strum
Dana Strum (born Dana Strumwasser on December 13, 1957) is an American musician whose career spans over 45 years. He is best known as a co-founder, bass player, and one of the two primary songwriters of the US-based hard rock band Slaughter, ...
. Sison is also involved with Kentucky rockers Bleeding Black and Waking Season, and continues to write with Billy Keeton in a side project called HoneyHole.
Musical style and influences
Skrape's sound garnered comparisons to other
alternative metal
Alternative metal (also known as alt-metal) is a genre of heavy metal music that combines heavy metal with influences from alternative rock and other genres not normally associated with metal. Alternative metal bands are often characterized by ...
acts such as
Deftones
Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by Chino Moreno (vocals, guitar), Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums), and Dominic Garcia (bass). During their first f ...
and
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains (often abbreviated as AIC) is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1987 by guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell and drummer Sean Kinney, who later recruited bassist Mike Starr and lead vocalist Layne ...
.
Regarding their style and attitude to music, Brian Milner stated in 2001 "Our music is aggressive, but in general we have a good time playing it and we don’t walk around being depressed all the time. We just do what we do. We play rock ‘n’ roll. There’s a new generation of kids, the whole depressing
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, ...
era is over."
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...
praised the band's "bright and intelligent approach to
hard rock" on ''
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.
Background, recording and promotion
Skrape were signed to RCA Records in Octo ...
''.
The website lists their influences as being
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...
,
Kiss
A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
,
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instru ...
,
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
and
Pantera
Pantera () is an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas formed in 1981, and currently comprised of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, and touring musicians Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante. The group's best-known lineup consist ...
.
Vocalist Billy Keeton has mentioned some of his musical inspirations as being
Frank Sinatra,
Ronnie James Dio
Ronald James Padavona (July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010), known professionally as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal singer. He fronted and founded numerous bands throughout his career, including Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and ...
,
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age (commonly abbreviated QOTSA) is an American rock band formed in 1996 in Palm Desert, California. The band was founded by vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme, who has been the only constant member throughout multiple line ...
and
Godflesh
Godflesh are an English industrial metal band from Birmingham. The group formed in 1982 under the title Fall of Because but did not release any complete music until 1988 when Justin Broadrick (guitar, vocals and programming) and G. C. Gree ...
.
Members
* Billy Keeton – lead vocals (1997–2004)
* Brian "Brix" Milner – guitar, keyboard, turntables, backing vocals (1997–2004)
* Pete Sison – bass (1997–2004)
*
Will Hunt
William Hunt (born September 5, 1971) is an American drummer. He has been a member of rock band Evanescence since 2007, and has also played for Skrape, Dark New Day, Black Label Society, Device, Crossfade, Staind, Static-X, and Slaughter.
...
– drums, backing vocals (1997–2004)
* Mike Lynchard – guitar (2000–2002)
* Randy Melser – guitar (2002–2004)
Discography
Albums
Singles
Videography
*"''
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.
Background, recording and promotion
Skrape were signed to RCA Records in Octo ...
''
EPK" (2000)
*"Waste" (2000)
*"What You Say" (2001)
*"Up the Dose" (2004)
ancelled
References
External links
*
King Street at MySpace
{{Authority control
Musical groups from Orlando, Florida
American alternative metal musical groups
American nu metal musical groups
Heavy metal musical groups from Florida
Musical groups established in 1997
Musical groups disestablished in 2004