Saliva - A Profile of Saliva

Saliva were one of the bands that emerged in the early 21st century as rap-rock became a popular musical style. Featuring vocals that were often sung with a hip-hop cadence by frontman Josey Scott, Saliva’s music combines hard rock song structures with accessible commercial hooks. This Tennessee band never achieved the superstar status of fellow bands Limp Bizkit and Korn, but they have managed to produce a string of hits on the mainstream rock charts.

Saliva formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1996. The band consisted of vocalist Josey Scott, bassist Dave Novotny, drummer Paul Crosby and guitarists Chris Dabaldo and Wayne Swinny. The following year, they released Saliva through an independent label, eventually getting the attention of Island Records. They would not put out their major-label debut until 2001.

Every Six Seconds boasted two of the band’s most impressive singles, “Your Disease” and “Click Click Boom,” which quickly became sports-arena anthems. Overall, the album leaned on aggressive guitars and Josey Scott’s combination of screamed and rapped vocals – while none of this was terribly original, Saliva managed to make the familiar template work for them. Still, with its emphasis on clenched-teeth angst, Every Six Seconds felt hugely indebted to Limp Bizkit’s Significant Other. The album went on to double-platinum sales, despite critics’ complaints about its generic radio-ready tracks.

2002’s Back Into Your System offered more of the same from Saliva, although its sound was more polished and expansive. “Always” marked a refreshing change in Scott’s vocal strategy as he began singing rather than screaming. Saliva also ventured into ballad territory on “Rest in Pieces,” but happily the band didn’t stoop to syrupy sentimentality, demonstrating some real melodic chops. At the same time, though, Back Into Your System argued that Saliva were never going to be a groundbreaking band – just a competent one. The album stalled at gold sales, signaling that the rap-rock movement was losing its luster.

Survival of the Sickest, released in 2004, can be viewed as Saliva’s attempt to distance itself from rap-rock and move closer to Southern rock. While the lack of rapped vocals was a welcome development, Survival seemed exceptionally self-conscious, as if Saliva were desperately trying to figure out what sounds were popular and then write songs in those veins. The appearance of 3 Doors Down singer Brad Arnold just underlined the fact that Saliva were trying to ape other contemporary Southern rock bands.

Before the release of 2007’s Blood Stained Love Story, founding guitarist Chris Dabaldo left Saliva, replaced by Jonathan Montoya. The personnel change didn’t have a noticeable effect on the album, which contained the hit “Ladies and Gentlemen,” another of the band’s patented adrenaline-soaked rockers. But outside from writing the occasional anthem perfectly suited to play over a montage of high-impact sports highlights, Saliva simply seemed to be out of ideas.

Cinco Diablo was released on December 16, 2008, supported by the lead single “Family Reunion.” Saliva toured with Jet Black Stare for the album.

Saliva Lineup:

Paul Crosby – drums
Jonathan Montoya - guitar
Dave Novotny – bass
Josey Scott – vocals
Wayne Swinny – guitar

Key Saliva Songs:

“Click Click Boom” (Purchase/Download)
“Your Disease” (Purchase/Download)
“Always” (Purchase/Download)
“Ladies and Gentlemen” (Purchase/Download)

Saliva (1997)
Every Six Seconds (2001)
Back Into Your System (2002)
Survival of the Sickest (2004)
Blood Stained Love Story (2007)
Cinco Diablo (2008)
Under Your Skin (2011)