SALIVA's BOBBY AMARU On WAYNE SWINNY: 'He Was A Huge Part Of This Band And Brand And Always Will Be'

In a new interview with the FM99 WNOR radio station, SALIVA singer Bobby Amaru spoke about the band's decision to carry on following the March 2023 passing of SALIVA founding guitarist Wayne Swinny. Bobby said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "[Wayne] was one of those guys, if you knew him, his personality was just large. And there's no way that he would've wanted it any other way. That's just how he was. He would always — he would talk to me about things like that. Like, 'Hey, if something happens, man, you've gotta keep doing this. Don't stop because of me or something.'"

He added: "But we love the guy. We miss the guy very much. He was a huge part of this band and brand and always will be."

Last month, SALIVA released the official music video for the song "Come Back Stronger". The track is taken from the band's latest album, "Revelation", which came out on September 8. It marks the band's first release since the passing of Swinny, who died while on tour with the group.

The "Come Back Stronger" video was notably filmed on March 16, 2023 — just five days before Swinny's death — and is dedicated to the fallen guitarist.

On March 22, SALIVA shared a statement on Facebook in which the band said that Swinny had been found that morning "in medical distress." Paramedics were called and the musician was transported to hospital "where he was diagnosed with a Spontaneous Hemorrhage in his brain."

SALIVA was on the road in the U.S. as part of the "Spring Mayhem" tour with THROUGH FIRE and ANY GIVEN SIN and had played in Warrendale, Pennsylvania on March 21.

When "Revelation" was first announced in July, Amaru said in a statement: "We started working on this record in 2020 during the pandemic shutdown. I felt like we had to get outside of the box with this one.

"I've been sober almost five years now and there are many songs on this record that are a reflection of it. I just wanted to connect with the listener and pull them into what I was dealing with but also shed some light on overcoming personal adversity.

"With the passing of Wayne in March, I felt lost. Where do I go? I knew we had this record we were all stoked about. Wayne's influence is all over these songs and, in my opinion, his playing on this album is next level. It's the only right thing to do to honor him and all our hard work and release it. I just want to share with the world what we have worked on the last three-plus years."

SALIVA has teamed up with DROWNING POOL, ADELITAS WAY and ANY GIVEN SIN for the "SNAFU Le Tour 2023" in September and October.

SALIVA launched its career in 2001 with the release of "Every Six Seconds", a double-platinum selling album with hits that include "Click, Click Boom" and "Your Disease".

The band has toured the U.S. with SEVENDUST, AEROSMITH and KISS.

SALIVA reunited with original singer Josey Scott for a one-off appearance at last year's Blue Ridge Rock Festival at the Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia.

Scott left SALIVA at the end of 2011 after 15 years with the group, reportedly to pursue a solo Christian music career. He was quickly replaced by Amaru, who can be heard on SALIVA's last five releases: "In It To Win It" (2013),"Rise Up" (2014),"Love, Lies & Therapy" (2016),"10 Lives" (2018) and the aforementioned "Revelation".

SALIVA released six albums with Scott and tasted platinum success and a Grammy nomination for its first big hit, "Your Disease".

In May 2021, SALIVA celebrated the 20th anniversary of its breakthrough major label debut, "Every Six Seconds", with a special project called "Every Twenty Years", an EP of classic songs re-recorded with Amaru.