Review Summary: Breaking Benjamin combine the strengths of their previous albums to create what is surely their most focused and consistent album to date.
Like em or not, Breaking Benjamin have been getting better with each album and showing improved songwriting every time. Phobia showed a complete transformation in Breaking Benjamin’s style, Ben’s vocals improved dramatically and musically the band showed progression, showing that they had expanded beyond the pounding of Saturate, while adding a great atmosphere to the songs. Although Breaking Benjamin lowered the aggression and Phobia was a slower album than many fans were used to, it was their most mature effort, and it propelled Breaking Benjamin into the mainstream, boasting the hit singles Diary of Jane and Breath.
In Dear Agony, Breaking Benjamin offer their most consistent album yet. Ben said this was the first album he wrote while completely sober, and it shows here; this album is more focused than any previous releases, not one song feels out of place here. Lyrically, there is not too much branching out; lyrics mainly deal with Ben’s usual suffering, despair, with occasionally a more hopeful message. Nothing too new from what the band has covered before, but there is a consistency (although also a slight repetitiveness) among the tracks. There are no lyrical trainwrecks here like Topless from the last album.
One of the greatest assets this album has is its ability to incorporate the best of the previous albums. The melodic side of Phobia remains, but some of the aggression from the first two albums has been brought back as well, with more focus. In between those two extremes lies the first single: I Will Not Bow kicks off with a quick scream of “Fall!” by Ben and leads into a heavy riff. This track incorporates the fusing of the heavy and melodic sides of Breaking Benjamin seamlessly, being both catchy and carrying driving guitars. There is a nice guitar solo by Aaron Fink in the bridge.
Crawl and Hopeless both incorporate screaming into the choruses; although the latter is more effective in this technique. Hopeless should please fans who were disappointed with the lack of heavy tracks on Phobia. The aggressive riffing and screaming combined with a good dose of melody and catchiness make this track a highlight, and the short breakdown in the bridge is executed flawlessly. Lights Out features one of Ben’s best vocal performances, he maintains an aggressive singing performance throughout the song that is complimented by the heavy riff and short guitar solo in the bridge. It doesn’t let up in intensity, and shows an effective combination of the band’s strengths. Into the Nothing sounds like something that could have been on We Are Not Alone; driven by some groovy riffing (thanks mainly to Mark Klepaski’s bass work in this track), and another of Ben’s better vocal performances, scream-free this time. While the band is writing heavier material than they have in the past, the accompanying vocals and melodies are getting better as well.
Another strength of Dear Agony is the band showing their ability to write effective ballads more so than on any other release. Not all ballads in the past were lacking, but Breaking Benjamin kills any of the others they’ve written here on Dear Agony. Ben’s emotional delivery on Give Me A Sign is fantastic, and the song has a certain uplifting quality to it, despite the downcast lyrics. However, Anthem of the Angels steals the show here; this is the best ballad the band has ever written. Ben’s vocals soar in this ode to a loved one passing away. As he delivers the lines “Sing the anthem of the angels, and say the last goodbye”, his voice conveys sincerity that makes this track a highlight, and my personal favorite on the album. It incorporates strings which greatly add to the atmosphere. The title track, unfortunately, falls short. While the music and Ben’s vocal performance certainly shows the “agony” referenced in the song, Dear Agony is overdramatic and even a bit cheesy, and is overshadowed by the superior ballads that come before it. It may have benefited to take out distortion on the latter two ballads, maybe even strip one of them down acoustic, but nonetheless the ballads are a good compliment to the more aggressive tracks on here.
One problem with the album is that few tracks on here sound a little too much like tracks from Phobia. The opener Fade Away bares more than a slight resemblance to Diary of Jane. Crawl and Without You both have traces of Breath, while Dear Agony sounds a bit like Here We Are. These similarities are unfortunate, but ultimately they do not ruin the album because the songs on here do have a slightly different feel to Phobia, the similarities mainly lie in the melodies. Also, while there are no real “filler” tracks here, but there are a couple here that fall below what Breaking Benjamin is capable of. Crawl starts off well, but the chorus is anticlimactic, it could have been a standout otherwise. What Lies Beneath has an interesting, and slightly progressive feel to it, but the chorus is again the weakest part. The line “So I’ll find what lies beneath… your sick twisted smile… as I lie underneath… your cold jaded eyes” is a bit awkward. Then there’s the aforementioned Dear Agony.
Overall, Breaking Benjamin have tightened their song-writing and focus more on Ben’s vocals here than flashy instrumentation. When guitar solos appear (Fade Away, I Will Not Bow, Lights Out), they fit the song, being impressive enough to catch attention without going over the top. Aaron Fink would do well to attempt more solos in the future, as he certainly is capable of doing them. Chad Szeliga’s drumming provides support to these songs, the chorus of I Will Not Bow (and the song in general) benefits from his willingness to do more than just sit in the background.
So far the band has been consistently showing improvement with each album, making changes to each album that typically work out for the better. If they continue to progress while maintaining the accessibility that put them on the radar in the first place, Breaking Benjamin should have no problem remaining one of the best bands in mainstream rock.
