Survival of the Sickest

Album Review

Saliva's third effort for Island Def Jam has completely excised the rap-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 rock star debauchery even while railing against the plasticity of the industry. "You music business w***es 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 rap-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.