Saliva's sixth full-length studio album, Cinco Diablo heats up the commercialism but falls flat on innovation.While I am not diametrically opposed to writing a few commercial songs to make a buckhey , the studios have been living off the creative juices of musicians for years and I feel it is about time they started cashing in on their craft, I am a little miffed at selling out completely.
Saliva is a band that has embraced consumerism and commercialism in music making head on. For instance, their number two Billboard hit, "Ladies and Gentlemen" has found its way on a number of commercials, and on PlayStation 3. I would be remiss not to mention their work on soundtracks like Resident Evil and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life. Following suit, Saliva's sixth studio album Cinco Diablo released under Island/Def Jam Records in early December 2008, reaffirms that while they may not be the most influential band on the planet, they sure have marketing and sync licensing tracks down to a science. Unfortunately, this also renders them boring and predictable.
Saliva leaves no stone left unturned with their songwriting aimed at generating revenue through licensing. Need a song for Madden? No problem. How about for Xbox? You bet. If you can visualize it, Saliva will throw a soundtrack behind it. With a background in creating songs that resonate with the World Wrestling Entertainment, WWE, nearly each track on their latest album tells a played-out story of a fighter who is bigger than, stronger than, and more antagonistic than his opponent. It appears that Saliva's biggest goal with Cinco Diablo is to sell wrestling tickets, not albums.
In between the cookie-cutter pre-packaged singles, there was a surprise track on the album which raised a little interest, track six, aptly entitled "Judgment Day" is a sobering number that could very well serve as the mantra for our brave soldiers dying on a daily basis. Lyrically, it attempts to take a raw and emotional look at what ravages and broken dreams the war has imparted. Again, throw the song behind a Hollywood war story and you have a supporting soundtrack to commercialize death.
There are of course the obligatory duds that smack of eighties hair-bands and bic lighters. "How Could You" for instance reeks of metal bands of yore pining over a love who was less than faithful and "I'm Coming Back" makes me hope they don't.
Overall, the CD accomplishes what it is supposed to; it serves as a beacon to all who may be interested in licensing Saliva's work. Just don't turn to it for any new or fresh contributions to the genre.
