Last month's pick was The Dracula 2000 Soundtrack (Columbia) To view past picks check the  archive.

What's up freaks? T-Bone here with my newest pick of the month. I have decided to go with the freshest face in the metal scene to date. For some reason, I can't get Skrape out of my CD player. Yes, it's that good and no one I know has been disappointed.

Finally a new record that doesn't sound like everything else! Skrape's New Killer America (RCA, 2001) drowns out all the competition. This band has it all, devastating guitar chords, thunderous drum patterns, bass driven riffs, howling vocals, and catchy choruses to satisfy the headbangers in all of us. Not only that but they are radio friendly. In fact "Waste," the first single, was added to all kinds of radio stations nation wide. The lyrics "Punch to the face, makes you hit the floor. Such a disgrace and you come back for more," set the tone for the rest of the CD. Also, this is probably the only album I have heard where all the tracks are heavy-in-your-face-pit-crazy songs at the same time compatible with radio.

How'd they do that? I don't know but the formula sure works. Hailing from Orlando, Florida, these guys not only have a killer sound, but they have a killer image. They choose to feature gruesome photos of eyeballs, scalpels, pig fetuses, body bags, and themselves wrapped in plastic as if we were at a crime scene. This goes hand in hand with metal fans.

The album' opening shot "What you say" and the closing barrage "Blow Up' bookend one of the year's most extreme musical statements and solid record out there. My personal favorites off this disc include "Isolation," "Rake," and "Sleep." "Isolation" is scheduled to be the next single off New Killer America and it simply rocks. I'm a sucker for a song with good beats and great choruses. Did I mention that the backup vocals are amazing? Hunt's backing vocals are truly one of a kind. Not too many drummers take on the responsibility to back up the lead singer; the only one that comes to mind besides Hunt is Morgan Rose from Sevendust. "Rake" is definitely a slower tempo song but with the impact of a car crusher. "Sleep" is structured like a Deftone's song but Skrape definitely does not disappoint anybody.

New Killer America is the answer to all the whiny, crying acts that complain 'the world sucks'. Skrape takes a more positive approach by saying 'well if the world sucks, get up and do something about it. Make a difference in your own life.'

Be sure to catch these guys when they go on the Extreme Steel Tour featuring Pantera, Static-X, Slayer, and Morbid Angel. If New Killer America is where metal is heading in the future, then I'm all up for it!