SALIVA's BOBBY AMARU Says He 'Challenged' WAYNE SWINNY 'A Lot' On Upcoming 'Revelation' Album

SALIVA will release a new album, "Revelation", on September 8. It will mark the band's first release since the passing of SALIVA's founding guitarist Wayne Swinny, who died four months ago while on tour with the group.

Asked in a new interview with Real Music With Gary Stuckey what it has been like trying to keep the band going while coping with the loss of their bandmate and friend, SALIVA singer Bobby Amaru said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "You can't really put words to it to describe [it]. The years have been crazy. But it's just the way life is, and there's nothing we can do about it when these things happen. We've just gotta try to honor him the right way and do what he would have wanted and just try to pay tribute to who he was and continue that legacy."

Bobby also talked about Swinny's involvement with "Revelation", saying: "I challenged him a lot on this record with just trying different things, playing different ways — things that he hadn't done before. But he was super stoked about how it all came out. I mean, you'll hear it when you listen to the songs and stuff. There's a lot of really, really cool guitar work all over this record. And he was a huge part of all that."

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 earlier this month, 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 will team up with DROWNING POOL, ADELITAS WAY and ANY GIVEN SIN for the "SNAFU Le Tour 2023" in September and October. A complete list of tour dates can be found on the poster below.

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 four releases: "In It To Win It" (2013),"Rise Up" (2014),"Love, Lies & Therapy" (2016) and "10 Lives" (2018).

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.