Don't salivate: nu-metal band bland

What is used to make Saliva? As it turns out, it's about two parts aggro, hairy-chested nu metal and one part late-'80s, Sunset-Strip pop metal.\nIf you don't believe the pop-metal bit, consider that the band hired Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe to write the song "Rest in Pieces." And you thought they only brought him in for his stash.\nThe musicians of this Memphis, Tenn., band want to be rock stars real bad, and they score points for not trying to hide it. The album opener is called "Superstar II," and it contains the following lyrics: "Now I'm a superstar in the making / I ain't fucking around and there ain't no mistaking."\nLead singer Josey Scott, perhaps most famously known for his collaboration with Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger on the hit "Hero" from the "Spider-Man" soundtrack, then whines some more about how his rock-and-roll lifestyle keeps him from having a wife or girlfriend. Don't you feel sorry for him?\nReacting to the success of "Hero," the band loads up on power ballads, a staple of both the nu-metal and pop-metal diets. The title track is a treacly power ballad that, with only a couple of changes, could be arranged for a boy band.\n"Always," the first single, is the best track, and it could wind up infecting your radio sometime soon with its massive chorus. "I love you / I hate you / I can't get around you," a conflicted Scott sings. "Weight of the World" and "All Because of You" are also catchy and benefit from Bob Marlette's decent production, which is noteworthy since a lot of aggro rock has suffered from tinny, dull production values.\nUltimately, though, the band suffers because of its pretensions. The rapping on "Raise Up" is painful to sit through, but I am sure the band members felt like they needed to do it to give them further nu-metal credibility. Somebody ought to tell them that "nu metal credibility" is an oxymoron.\nMy advice? More fun pop metal, less hairy-chested rock. And, for once, check your ego at the door.