Saliva: Rise Up review

Saliva fans can rejoice and celebrate- the band is finally back with their latest record, Rise Up, which marks a new chapter in the life of Saliva. With the departure of longtime and founding vocalist Josey Scott, the band has decided to power forward with new vocalist, Bobby Amaru and longtime fans will be pleasantly surprised with the outcome. Having released a teaser record last fall, In It To Win It, Saliva showed fans a glimpse of what was to come with that limited time record. With Rise Up, they build upon that record with a few new tracks added to the listing. The last few Saliva records to feature Scott had somewhat ventured away from what the band originally was- a southern rock band with a badass attitude and kickass rock songs. The last few records still had that in some areas but had also softened a little bit and it seemed like the band had lost a step somewhere along the way. With Rise Up, Saliva go back to basics and are here to make a statement. From the opening track- the title track- Saliva are ready to kick some ass and take names with this release and they don’t let up until the final moments of the last track, “I Don’t Want It.” What will really surprise longtime fans is how impressive Amaru is in the new role of Saliva frontman. He’s got the chops to do everything Scott did and more. Get ready to be surprised because Amaru is actually a better all-around singer than Scott was with Saliva. Not to take anything away from the legacy Scott built with Saliva, but when Amaru hits the high notes and belts out the power behind a lot of the lyrics and notes, there’s no denying Saliva have found a hell of a singer. If you like old school Saliva that has a kick and a punch to it, you’re gonna freak when you hear Rise Up as it’s definitely Saliva at their best. Songs like “She Can Sure Hide Crazy,” “Redneck Freakshow” and “Choke” are guaranteed to be instant crowd favorites, live staples and radio hits- especially “Choke.” With a new singer, regardless of the band, longtime fans are gonna be critical and it can sometimes be hard for fans to come around. This is the record Saliva needed to make at this point in their career and they’ve far exceeded any expectations anyone could have for them. They’ve outdone themselves and there’s no question this could go down as one of the best records of their career with some of the strongest material and biggest anthems yet. Rating: 9/10 -Reggie Edwards Saliva singer Bobby Amaru talks Rise Up with The Front Row Report