The hard rock/metal world is dying. Or perhaps it has polio. And with that knowledge, it’s difficult to review bands like Saliva without some sort of cynicism. There was a time when a band would make music, gain a fan base, and not-so-blinded by the corporate dollar, pursued their craft as artists. That’s when quality shined, and it was relatively successful. The cash cow phenomenon exists now due to the bastardization of the ‘formula’: what’s going to be the hit single to rake in the cash before the kids lose interest?
The real tragedy if this is that most of the time bands start out with pure intentions, so to speak. The hope of becoming that diamond in the rough and the worldwide adoration for their expression is the dream. But the reality is that the diamond is the proverbial pearl necklace, as the bands get screwed and used like a whore. Add to that the pressure to produce a sellable product, and it’s no wonder we as an audience get crap. Never mind the conditioning process on the music buyer.
So it comes to this: Blood Stained Love Story sounds like it is having identity issues. The typical nü metal fodder of the likes of Staind and Nickelback (never mind that Josey Scott did that “Hero†song with Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger), mixed with pop-punk (hearkening Story of the Year), balladeering akin to Stone Sour, and bits of programming thrown in that raises Static X flags. Josey’s voice isn’t consistent stylistically, which can be an asset, but I think it does a disservice to the band’s objective (if there is one, considering how scattered the styles are from song to song). Perhaps their history of writing/performing theme songs for professional wrestling and video games had an effect. Either way, any merit this band had at its inception has been ground into the carpet like a dry peanut butter cookie.
Website: Saliva
