Dark Before Dawn

So this week Breaking Benjamin topped the Billboard 200 Album Chart with Dark Before Dawn that was released on Tuesday, June 23.  Some online music news publications have been declaring this a sign that rock still lives.  Critics say that Breaking Benjamin is "too pop" or won't top the charts for long.  Regardless, I see this as a victory for rock music and the band itself.  First, the #1 album is not from Taylor Swift or Fetty Wap or the Pitch Perfect soundtrack or whatever else.  It is a bona fide rock band.  Only Muse has accomplished this recently.  Second, this is sort of a comeback album after the band was on hiatus after 2009's Dear Agony (which debuted at #4).  There has been barely any publicity about this album's release and only die hard fans were really poised to pick it up its first week.  This makes it even more surprising that the album launched as good as it did, selling over 140,000 copies. Quietly, their greatest hits album Shallow Bay: The Best of Breaking Benjamin topped the Hard Rock Albums chart for three consecutive years, from 2011 to 2013! Despite this, somehow this band never gets mentioned in mainstream media.  Third, it is remarkable that the band has survived legal trouble, a lineup overhaul, and the severe medical issues of the lead singer, lead song writer, and guitar player, Benjamin Burnley, to come back on top.

Burnley has been suffering from an unknown illness since 2007.  Symptoms and severity vary, but include muscle pain, joint pain, dizziness, severe headaches, and chronic fatigue.  The new lineup includes lead guitarist Jasen Rauch from RED, ex-Adelita's Way guitarist Keith Wallen on rhythm guitar and backing vocals, bassist Aaron Bruch, and drummer Shaun Foist from Picture Me Broken.  The group will also be touring throughout the remainder of the summer at least until October.

While the new album is not breaking any new ground, I am generally in the camp of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."  The group could have easily went in a different direction and fans could have been alienated and written off the new additions to the band.  Instead, they made a record that sounds like Breaking Benjamin.  Highlights include Breaking the Silence, Great Divide, and Bury Me Alive.

I admit I have been a fan of this band since I first heard Polyamorous in 2002.  I still think their debut, Saturate, is one of the best and most complete hard rock albums of all time.  They became one of my favorite bands after I saw them at the Crocodile Rock in Pennsylvania in August of 2004.  It was a small club that was oversold and, to boot, they had no air conditioning.  Did I mention it was August?  They were routinely hosing off the crowd so that we wouldn't pass out.  The opening bands weren't bad, but the only thing that saved this night from a complete bust was Breaking Benjamin.  They played with tremendous energy, engaged the crowd, and completely commanded the stage and rocked their asses off.  They have had more commercial success since then and continued to be consistent in turning out the hits.  Singles So Cold, Sooner or Later, and Diary of Jane all hit #2 on the Mainstream Rock chart.  Phobia reached #2 on the Billboard 200 and Top Internet albums charts thanks to songs like The Diary of Jane, Breath, Evil Angel, and Until the End.  The bottom line is that if you are fans of Breaking Benjamin, this is worth picking up.  If you don't know much about them, but are fans of 3 Doors Down, Seether, Red, Three Days Grace, Theory of a Deadman, etc. you definitely wanna check it out too.  I also suggest going deeper into their back catalogue.

Breaking Benjamin 2015 via Wikipedia