Ironically, just a few days ago, before I even knew I would be reviewing Saliva’s album Breaking Through, I was thinking to myself: where does one draw the line between hard rock, rock ’n’ roll and metal?
It’s a fair question, and the line is somewhat blurry. I can think of bands I listened to as a kid in the ’80s that I would have put in the metal category back then, but now, 40 odd years later, are classified as classic rock, and rightly so.
Over the years, that blurry line has become super hazy because every band wants to be as catchy, hard and intense as they can be. There is so much choice out there that they need to stand out.
Saliva’s latest release, Breaking Through, blends traditional rock, a little soft metal and even a pinch of rap. I’m just going to say it: vocalist Bobby Amaru brings with him a real feeling of Linkin Park, with a voice Chester Bennington would have applauded. I shit you not, the similarity is uncanny as Saliva bring the early 2000s into the mid 2020s.
In 2023, the band suffered the heart wrenching loss of founding guitarist Wayne Swinny, who died after suffering a brain haemorrhage while on tour. Moments like that can either define a band and solidify its future, or the band can implode and you’ll never hear from them again.
I feel Breaking Through honours Wayne in the best way possible, taking the band back to its roots. Saliva jump into a DeLorean like Michael J. Fox, go back in time and return with a taste of the early 2000s. Many of the songs feel dedicated to the guitarist’s 59 years of life and his ultimately untimely death, creating a touching tribute to a man who made Saliva, Saliva.
May you rest in peace, Wayne Swinny, and know the boys are going above and beyond with the release of Breaking Through.
Chock full of catchy hooks, gutsy grooves, heavy hitting guitar, electrified emotion and an overwhelming reminder that Saliva have been here for more than 25 years, Breaking Through is the sound of a band that has survived through thick and thin, good times and brutally bad ones.
Within the covers of Breaking Through, Saliva bring the turn of the century into the mid 2020s while staying true to the rock ’n’ roll tunes that made them famous.
With four singles already released from Breaking Through, you get a tantalising taste of what this 13 track album is going to be. Solid, sporadically savage and sometimes sombre, Saliva have survived the worst that life can dish out and come out the other side stronger and ready to take on the world.
And the world is ready for the return of Saliva.
For More Information Please Visit:
