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View Full Version : [Nu-Metal/Alt. Rock] Breaking Benjamin-We Are not Alone


Dir en X
10-11-2004, 08:34 PM
Breaking Benjamin- We Are not Alone

Lineup:
Ben Burnley-Vocals, Guitar
Aaron Fink-Lead Guitar
Mark James Klepaski-Bass, Vocals
Jeremy Hummel-Percussion, Drums

Songs:
So Cold
Simple Design
Follow
Firefly
Break My Fall
Forget It
Sooner or Later
Breakdown
Away
Believe
Rain

So Cold - The first song and the first single. Nice ambience in the beginning and 1st verse. The guitar work is typically BB, with nice additions like the dissonantsounding chords early in the song. This song is one of the few that frays from the overall formula used when writing this CD. 4/5

Simple Design - Here is the aforementioned pattern that BB falls into. Most songs are set up like this. Hard riff - soft verse - build/interlude - hard chorus another verse - chorus - interlude - chorus - outro. A change from the previous album Saturate, the chorus usually has a positive energy flowing around it. This song has such a vibe. Overall, not bad, but not noteworthy. 3/5

Follow - This song also falls into the pattern set up by Simple Design. The guitar/bass riffs in the beginning are nicely written. This song is definately single material even though most of the other songs are structurally similar to it. 4/5

Firefly - My favorite song in the album, even with the formula of most of the other songs. For me at least, everything seems to click in this song and I love it. IMO this should be the next single. 5/5

Break My Fall - The review for Simple Design is applicable here. 3/5

Forget It - A needed break from the overused pattern. This song is a slower ballad that leaves the positive vibes its predecessors had in favor of a more morose tone. This is a 4 because it stands out from the rest of the CD, except for Rain and So Cold. 4/5

Sooner or Later - Better than Break My Fall and Simple Design, again emotion given by this song seems to lift it above the norm of this CD. 3.5/5

Breakdown - Interesting piano opening to a hard guitar riff. See Break My Fall for review 3.5/5

Away- See Sooner or Later for review. 3.5/5

Believe - This song, like a few others, distinguishes itself from the rest, mostly from the relentless hard riffs, even in the verses. Ben's growling skills, first shown in Saturate, this the main vocal idea. 3/5

Rain - A simple ballad with the sound of flowing water in the background is a highlight on the track. A nice closing to the album that shows BB is capable of different sounds. My 2nd fav after Firefly 5/5

Overall:

Good: Lyrics, defined sound, great songwriting in ballads, positive vibes in most songs

Bad: Too many tracks sound the same.

Overall Rating 3.5/5

If you want more variety pick up Saturate, but if you do have Saturate, a nice little addition to your CD collection.

Kage
10-11-2004, 09:09 PM
The album is enjoyable once in awhile, but I agree with you in that way too much of it falls into a very predictable pattern, whereas Saturate didn't do that. :thumb:

Praiz
10-11-2004, 09:12 PM
I was just about to check and see if this album was any good by I was fearing it'd fall into a "LinkinPark-ism"

SimpleMTS
10-11-2004, 09:14 PM
I really like rain and their single, the album overall is just.. average though. Still a good listen on occasion.

SubtleDagger
10-11-2004, 09:22 PM
BB have always been standard nu-metalism, but they kind of frustrate me because sometimes they can manage to break out of that formula with cool melodies or great singing parts. Once they do that though, they go right back to the generic stuff. So they're a pretty average band.

Dancin' Man
10-11-2004, 09:42 PM
The singer annoys me. I think it's only because his tongue is pierced though.

The JoZ
10-11-2004, 10:36 PM
I saw them live, and liked what I heard. Ben Burnley does some of my favorite vocals in modern rock today.

I don't like this review however. I don't care if it does get repetitive, if you're going to do track-by-track, don't say "See this song for the review of a different song".

SubtleDagger
10-11-2004, 11:25 PM
I actually do like his vocals, though I know many who hate them. The guitars often piss me off, however. For example, on "So Cold", the verse thing is awesome, but the chorus and interlude blow.

Just kind of irritating to me.

The JoZ
10-12-2004, 12:06 AM
Yeah, I love the main riff in So Cold...the chorus is quite mediocre....