Saliva frontman talks band\’s return and \’Rise Up\’

It’s been three years since Saliva released Under Your Skin– three very long, eventful years. It seems like it’s been much longer but after losing their longtime frontman, the iconic rockers are primed and ready to make their comeback. This time around they’ve got Bobby Amaru at the helm, marking a fresh start and new chapter in the story of Saliva. When a band with a legacy that of Saliva replaces a vocalist it can go one of two ways- extremely well or it can be a trainwreck in every way imaginable. With a fanbase as dedicated as Saliva’s, it would take one hell of an album and singer to make satisfy the rabid Saliva nation. However, when the band releases their latest record and the debut of Amaru, Rise Up, fans will see firsthand that Amaru isn’t only the best voice to be at the forefront of the iconic band, but he’s also the perfect choice. With Rise Up, Saliva go back to basics and made sure to give fans what they’ve wanted for awhile- a true Saliva album. “We feel strong about the single and the record, we’re extremely excited to get back on the road,” says Amaru. In It To Win It (September 2013) was released just for the fans, it was released just online and we had some trouble getting the retail and distribution so late in the year, so we knew that as soon as we got a release date we were gonna take it offline.” With Rise Up, Amaru says, fans get some new artwork and a new cover, as well as some new songs that weren’t on In It To Win It. “We don’t wanna cheat people or anything, it was basically a limited edition the way we did In it to Win It. Rise Up is the real deal, the one that hits stores and goes international.” As for what fans can expect from Rise Up, Amaru says it’s what Saliva have been wanting to do for a long time and that they’d gotten away from the hard rock sound on the last few studio albums  but Rise Up has the classic Saliva feel to it. “It’s intense. There’s a lot of people who haven’t even heard In it to Win It or heard any of the songs,” says Amaru. “There’s some really good songs on there that we worked really hard on. We really wanted to make a good rock record and not just another Saliva record. We wanted it to be special. “We got to make the record that we wanted to make. No one was telling us how to make it, I think the past two records they did they were a little tired and worn out and you pretty much have people telling you ‘you should do this or write like this’ or ‘have you checked out that new Imagine Dragons? You should sound like that.’ “There’s always those kinds of things and nothing against them,” continues Amaru, “I think that band’s great but I think that’s just the way the industry is sometimes and we, with our new deal and all, we didn’t want to…we wanted to have control over the music that we were gonna create. Plus there’s a fire up everybody’s ass. Everyone’s excited and ready to do this thing.” Not only is this Saliva’s first record with Amaru behind the mic but it’s also their label debut for Rum Bum Records, marking their Indie label debut. Amaru says that although they had offers from numerous labels, Rum Bum was the one that stood out because they gave the band full freedom. “Everyone there was super cool, it was like a family deal,” says Amaru. “There was no pressure, there were things we wanted and really wanted to make happen and they didn’t fight on it, they believed in the band and signed the band because they were fans of the band. That, first and foremost, was huge for us. It’s always different being on an Indie compared to a major label.” Naturally, anytime a band with the catalog and fanbase Saliva has replaces a lead singer, there’s going to be fans who embrace it but also those who fight it and who have a hard time accepting it. Some of those fans are more vocal than others but it doesn’t phase Amaru one bit. In fact, he knows its part of the deal and has gotten pretty good at dealing with it. “With me, it’s cool; I can take it and its part of it,” explains Amaru. “People are always gonna think that and it’s part of proving yourself too. You’re gonna have to go out and prove that it’s your thing, and it is. I feel like I’ve beyond proved it, we’ve played some great shows and some big festivals and met a lot of really cool people and it’s been fun.” It can be specially difficult in the age of social media, where everyone seems to be braver when they’re behind a keyboard and not face to face with the band. “I stopped caring, I stopped looking at anything,” elaborates Amaru. “I tried not to in the beginning either but I’d have a couple friends who’d be like ‘yeah man, people are saying good things about you. One guy is saying something stupid’ or I’d hear about it. “It’s kinda like there’s always gonna be that, no matter what, there’s always gonna be that dude drinking in his house like huge old school Saliva fan, sharing a bunk bed with his 12 year old sister, has like a partical board door but he’s gotta go online and talk shit. “There’s always gonna be that and I just take myself out of it and I don’t really think about that stuff or let it bother me,” continues Amaru. “There’s a lot of other people who like it and you can’t please everybody.” As far as the fans are concerned who say it’s not the same band without certain members, Amaru would agree with them. “They’re right, it’s not the same band, it’s a different band but there are still three guys, original guys in the band,” explains Amaru. “You can’t please everybody but it’s always good when we play shows and people do come out and I’ve had instances where someone will come up and be like ‘dude, I literally wrote a negative comment about you, like last week on Facebook that I have to go and delete now.’” After hearing Rise Up any doubters should be silenced and it should be clear that Saliva are back in full-effect. There’s no doubt this is a Saliva album and that this is Saliva. Rise Up is slated for an April 29, 2014 release via Rum Bum Records and will be available everywhere music is sold.