Breaking Benjamin - Dear Agony Review

full review

Tracklist:
1.Fade Away
2.I Will Not Bow
3.Crawl
4.Give Me A Sign
5.Hopeless
6.What Lies Beneath
7.Anthem of the Angels
8.Lights Out
9.Dear Agony
10.Into the Nothing
11.Without You

Release Date: 09/29/2009

user rating

3.3
great

Chart.

other reviews

Davey Boy STAFF (3)
As competent & inoffensive as ever, Dear Agony is unlikely to change your opinion of Breaking Benjam...

Dylan620 (2)
Dear Agony is a disappointing step backward from Phobia....

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On 2 Lists

2.5
average

Gregory Kearns USER (40 Reviews)

2009-09-28 | 29 comments | 3,411 views

Summary: Dear Agony is the sound of a band that is a little too comfortable with their mainstream success.

3 of 3 thought this review was well written

Breaking Benjamin has returned once again with their fourth studio album, Dear Agony. Last outing for the band was 2006’s Phobia, an album in which a small progression in the band’s sound could be found as they tightened up areas of weak production concerning their guitar tones, a problem that seemed to be an issue with prior sophomore effort, We Are Not Alone. The band also strengthened up a few areas of their songwriting on the last album, occasionally throwing a guitar solo into the mix or adding a new texture for a different atmosphere on a song (e.g. “You Fight Me”). We Are Not Alone was, likewise, a step up from the band’s debut album, Saturate, as it featured more consistent songwriting, and the sound of a band that was primed and ready to lead the world of mainstream rock.

Listeners coming to Breaking Benjamin’s Dear Agony with a similar expectancy for growth and progression may leave a little disappointed. While Ben Burnley and the band have indeed returned with another set of rockers and radio singles, disappointingly Dear Agony turns out to be no more than that. Ben Burnley’s formula for writing a song hasn’t changed all that much since Saturate as he still incorporates brooding verses with accenting, crunchy guitars that typically build up for a passionate (albeit forced) delivery in the chorus. Generally speaking, the same pattern is repeated three times in nearly all of the songs to be found on this album as well; though to be fair to the band, an interesting bridge section can be found as well in a few tracks.

Individual song highlights are the album’s lead single, “I Will Not Bow”, which is an anthem for the faint-hearted and features one of the band’s catchiest choruses (not to mention a little guitar solo to be found in the bridge). On the opposite side of the spectrum, “Hopeless” offers a downcast and depressing message. The opening riff starts the song off effectively into the verse section decently enough. The chorus is the standout element to be found here as it features a catchy interplay between Ben’s clean and harsh vocal styles, the latter of which is missing throughout much of Dear Agony. On the latter half of the album, “Anthem of the Angels” and closer “Without You” incorporate strings into the band’s typical song formula that recalls the sound of fellow tour mates, Red. Both songs feature soft croons, crunchy riffs, and catchy melodies that would surely increase their strength as potential future singles. The prior song pitches an unusual message at the listener, “There is nothing left of you, I can see it in your eyes, sing the anthem of the angels, and say your last goodbye,” which is apparently trying to convince the listener that there’s no hope, and it is best to end their lives.

The major complaint for Dear Agony is the aforementioned lack of progression for the band. Some songs also tend to fall into the “typical Breaking Benjamin song” category as evidenced by “Fade Away”, “Lights Out”, and “Into the Nothing”. While featuring catchy melodies and hard-hitting riffs, these tracks could have easily been placed on the band’s past albums without anyone really noticing a difference. The lyrics here are also typical Breaking Benjamin fare, as Ben is once again only addressing one person with topics that include (but do not deviate from) hope, despair, and love. This is all fine and good, but it would be nice to hear the band branch out a bit, even if it’s into subjects that similar bands have already covered.

Dear Agony is the sound of a mainstream rock band that has grown too comfortable in their position on top of the pack. As with their albums in the past, a handful of singles will assure the band’s success in the market while roping in a slew of new fans in the process. Likewise, Breaking Benjamin’s more devoted listeners that have followed the band from day one will also not be disappointed as the band offers more of the same that first got them into the band in the first place. Still, it’s a shame that Ben Burnley and the band are content with just staying the same as the continued progression that was seen in the band’s prior albums up until this release would have surely been welcomed here. Things like guitar solos and interesting song structures are few and far in between on Dear Agony, not to mention the typical lyrics that tend to cover the same beaten to death topics over and over. Unfortunately, all of this tends to reek of the band's blatant and somewhat disappointing commercial goals.

When all is said and done, one can’t help but speculate if Ben Burnley is secretly writing to the band’s critics in their single, “I Will Not Bow.” While he is pressured to bring something different and new with each album, he opts instead for what has proven to work in the past. As Dear Agony illustrates, Ben Burnley doesn’t “want to change the world,” as he seems to have ironically “...lost the will to change” somewhere along the road.

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