Although formed in September 1996,
Saliva didn't hit the mainstream until 2001, when the band's mix of angsty hard rock and hip-hop helped earn a double-platinum certification for its sophomore album,
Every Six Seconds. Two of the album's 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. Meanwhile,
Saliva put the finishing touches on
Back into Your System, which appeared later that year and combined the band's rap-metal bedrock with touches of post-grunge, hard rock, and punk. For 2004's
Survival of the Sickest, though, the guys trimmed down their sound and focused almost exclusively on hard rock, a decision that brought the single "Rest in Pieces" into the Adult Top 40 charts.
Dabaldo left the band one year later and was replaced by former Full Devil Jacket guitarist Jonathan Montoya, who made his official debut on 2007's
Blood Stained Love Story. After appearing on 2008's Cinco Diablo, though, Montoya exited the lineup, leaving
Saliva to move ahead as a slimmed-down quartet on the band's seventh album, Under Your Skin.
–
Greg Prato & Andrew Leahey, Rovi