Survival of the Sickest

AMG Review of Survival of the Sickest

Johnny Loftus
All Music Guide

Saliva's third effort for Island Def Jam has completely excised the ap-rock overtones of their original model, adopting instead an amplified hard rock sound informed by the band's Southern roots. There's still some pandering to major-label stylistic cataracts -- "No Regrets, Vol. 2" and "Open Eyes" are forgettable plods comparable to post-grunge also-rans like Chevelle. But Saliva make up for it with a clutch of massively compressed hard-head rockers that revel in ock star debauchery even while railing against the plasticity of the industry. "You music business whores are all about just getting paid," frontman Josey Scott spits in opener "Rock & Roll Revolution," and the song's sledgehammer rhythms are refreshingly at odds with Saliva's ap-rock-coddled past. But Scott can't completely dismiss success -- he happily revels in the twin guitars and two-girls-for-every-guy spoils of "One Night Only" and the title track. Other highlights include the patriotic rant "Two Steps Back" and "Razor's Edge," a faithful Lynyrd Skynyrd update featuring 3 Doors Down vocalist Brad Arnold.