INTERVIEW: Saliva, after tremendous loss, are having a ‘Revelation’
Image courtesy of Saliva / Provided by O’Donnell Media Group with permission.
Earlier this year, the rock world lost a beloved guitarist. Wayne Swinny, an original member of the band Saliva, died at the age of 59 after suffering a brain hemorrhage, according to news reports. At the time, the band was preparing for the release of their new album, which was scheduled for July. Vocalist Bobby Amaru and the surviving members of the band were heartbroken. They needed to hit the pause button, delay the record a couple months and think about their next steps.
Now, Saliva is preparing for the release of that album, called Revelation, which features Swinny’s unparalleled guitar playing. Complementing the new release is an expansive tour titled SNAFU Le Tour 2023, which will find Saliva traveling across the United States with Drowning Pool, Adelitas Way and Any Given Sin. The trek kicks off Friday, Sept. 8 in Greenville, South Carolina, continuing until Oct. 27 in Cocoa Beach, Florida.
This tour and this new record offer an opportunity for reflection — for Amaru, the other band members and the fans.
“The first half of the year did not go as planned, but I guess your longtime member and friend passes away, you can never really expect that to happen,” Amaru said in a recent phone interview. “It’s always unexpected.”
Saliva, a band known for songs like “I Walk Alone,” “Always” and “Click Click Boom,” started working on Revelation back in February 2020 right before the pandemic shut everything down. The plan was to release the album in 2020, but that was delayed until 2021 due to the music industry coming to a halt. But then, in 2021, the band decided to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their second album, Every Six Seconds, so the new recording was delayed again.
“And we just kept putting the record back, but in the meantime, we kept writing songs,” the singer said. “I’m glad we did it that way just because I feel like we got the better songs out of it. We got to pick out of 34 songs. But with all that happened this year in late-March with Wayne, I wasn’t really sure what to do. We had a release date for July. [I said], ‘I think we should put it off for now. I want to redo the artwork and all that stuff and just have a nice photo of him put in it and honor him that way.’ I think the positive in it is being able to honor his work and what he did, those memories of those recording sessions that I’ll have.”
Amaru said that Swinny was the heart and soul of Saliva from day one. The vocalist called his friend a “good, solid character” who is irreplaceable, so he wants to celebrate that life and legacy with the fans on the upcoming two-month tour. “He would be so happy that we’re doing that,” he said. “It’s what we do. I can’t wait to get out there and tour and see the fans and be able to go out and celebrate Wayne and the music of Saliva.”
The songs on Revelation are highly personal, speaking about issues that are near and dear to Amaru. For example, he’s open about his sobriety over the past five years, and he wants to share those stories with others, connecting the fans with the narratives being told through the songs. One tune, “Come Back Stronger,” is particularly resonant for the singer.
“If you listen to the lyrics, that’s pretty much me pouring it all out what I went through,” Amaru said. “The last original record we put out was in 2018, and I got sober that year. … I think people that can relate that have been through that or still continue to go through it, there’s light, too, in some of the songs. … It’s not just about your struggles, but being able to overcome them.”
Amaru added: “It was still the whole being down and knocked down and having to overcome and come back and rise up. … A lot of people can take it in different ways. It could be about losing somebody. It could be about really losing yourself, too, and finding that core again of who you are. That’s what it was about for me was being able to come back and overcome this stuff that I’ve been dealing with. It has different meanings. … ‘Come Back Stronger’ was our blueprint for the record. I played some ideas for Wayne in 2019, and he was like, ‘Yes, that right there needs to be the first single, first song on the record.’ So we started writing around it, but there’s a song called ‘Horizon’ that makes a lot more sense now that he passed. Just lyrically, it seems to tell that story.”
Amaru counts himself as the biggest fan of Swinny’s guitar playing. This loss has hit him hard, but he’s enveloping himself in the love of Saliva and their legacy.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Saliva’s new album, Revelation, will be released Friday, Sept. 8. That same day the band kicks off the SNAFU Le Tour 2023 with Drowning Pool, Adelitas Way and Any Given Sin. Click here for more information and tickets.
