Saliva & Drowning Pool

Although formed in the late 1990s, Saliva didn’t hit the mainstream until 2001, when the Memphis-based band’s mix of angsty hard rock and hip-hop helped earn them a double-platinum certification for their sophomore album, Every Six Seconds. They struck gold again in 2007 with Blood Stained Love Story, which shot to the top of Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart, and went on to release a steady stream of albums that incorporate elements of heavy rock, post-grunge, and rap-metal, including In It to Win It (2013) and Love, Lies & Therapy (2016). Two of Every Six Seconds‘ songs had already appeared on Saliva’s self-released debut, which was issued in 1997 on the band’s own label. Singer Josey Scott, guitarists Chris Dabaldo and Wayne Swinny, bassist Dave Novotny, and drummer Paul Crosby were all veterans of the Memphis music scene, and their shared experience helped the album become a local hit. Island Records took notice and signed Saliva, who made an appearance on the Dracula 2000 soundtrack before releasing their major-label debut in 2001. Josey Scott brought more attention to the band with “Hero,” a duet with Nickelback vocalist Chad Kroeger that appeared on the Spider-Man soundtrack and became an international hit in 2002. After releasing a greatest-hits collection in 2010, Saliva issued their seventh album, 2011’s Under Your Skin. Months later, after 15 years together, Scott parted ways with the band to pursue a solo career. Saliva announced his replacement, Bobby Amaru, in early 2012. They signed with RumBum Records later that year, releasing their eighth album, In It to Win It, in late 2013. In an effort to further push the new songs, the band re-released In It to Win It under the title Rise Up, which included all but three songs from the original. Rise Up would also mark the end of the band’s relationship with RumBum. In 2015, Novotny was the next founding member of the band to depart, replaced by Brad Stewart (Shinedown, Fuel), who had previously worked with Amaru in his eponymous band. The updated lineup of Stewart, Swinny, Crosby, and Amaru then entered the studio to record Saliva’s ninth effort — 2016’s Love, Lies & Therapy (Universal) — which was released in June 2016. Furthering their distance from the original rap-rock sound of their earlier albums, Love, Lies & Therapy boasted a harder-edged rock grit, as found on singles “Rx” and “Tragic Kind of Love.” The following year saw the group issue the concert LP 10 Lives. In 2023, the band released a single, “High on Me,” in anticipation of an American concert tour.

Founded in 1996, Drowning Pool represented the vision of drummer Mike Luce and guitarist C.J. Pierce, who formed the band after relocating from New Orleans to Dallas and hooking up with bassist Stevie Benton. Although they initially performed as an instrumental trio, their sound coalesced with the arrival of Dave “Stage” Williams as vocalist. Drowning Pool experienced success from the outset. When a copy of their first demo reached members of Sevendust, they were invited to tour with the industrial metal group. Tours with Kittie and (hed) p.e. followed. Their second demo, recorded after two years on the road, reached the Top Ten on Dallas radio station KEGL and led to a contract with the Wind-Up Records label. Produced by Jay Baumgardner (Papa Roach, Godsmack, Coal Chamber), their first album, Sinner, became an instant hit. It was certified platinum within six weeks of its release, while their first single, “Bodies,” was one of the most frequently aired videos on MTV for a new band. They reached out to an even greater audience with dynamic performances at Wrestlemania XVIII and Ozzfest during the summers of 2001 and 2002. Unfortunately, their streak of success was not to last. Shortly after rousing the crowd at Ozzfest in Indianapolis, Indiana, on August 3, 2002, Williams was found dead of natural causes on the tour bus. In the wake of that tragedy, the band forged ahead.

A concert film, Sinema, featuring more than two-and-a-half hours of footage, was released in late 2002. In January 2004, the band announced the addition of singer Jason “Gong” Jones, and their sophomore effort, Desensitized, followed several months later. In 2006, former Soil singer Ryan McCombs assumed the vocal duties, and a year later they released Full Circle, which was followed by live album, Loudest Common Denominator, in 2009. A self-titled album dropped in 2010, making McCombs the first DP singer to record more than one album with the group. However, it was not to last: he departed the following year, and was replaced by Suicide Hook vocalist Jasen Moreno, who made his official debut on 2013’s Resilience. Three years later, Moreno would match McCombs‘ record with the announcement of the second Moreno-led and sixth overall Drowning Pool album, Hellelujah. Produced by Jason Suecof (Deicide, Motionless in White), the release featured the uncompromising single “By the Blood.” Originally slated for release in 2020, the band’s seventh long-player, Strike a Nerve, was pushed to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Billed as their heaviest effort to date, the 11-song set saw the band digging hard into their blue-collar Southern metal roots.