maybe bust the contrast on the skull layer... try the "multiply layer" may blend with the background too much or it may blend together nicely.
Turn off the stroke on the text and leave it off, the image in post #8 is much better than the others as the stroke just looks cheap and amateurish. After that go into the text box and decrease the space between each letter by placing the cursor in the space and pressing option (or I think ALT on a PC) and pressing the left arrow key. See if you can find a distressed font that isn't all caps though.
Enter your email address to join: