Review Summary: "Dear Agony" is an excellent album that has been unjustly ignored and forgotten because it reforms and refines Breaking Benjamin's sound rather than innovating it.
Breaking Benjamin has always been an inconsistent band: they possess the curious ability to simultaneously bring you to emotional highs and lows with their music, yet also cause you to cringe or yawn in boredom on the same album. However, though their music has generally been hit or miss, a progression in their successes can be noticed from album to album. From the rebellious nature of "Saturate" to the generic sounding "We Are Not Alone" and finally the bipolar (music wise) "Phobia" which pounded home with incredible numbers such as "Diary of Jane" yet also fell flat on its face with songs such as "Here We Are", Breaking Benjamin has struggled with consistency. When "Dear Agony" broke onto the scene, most critics and listeners shoved it aside because it went no place that "Phobia" hadn't already, but what was ignored was that Breaking Benjamin had taken all they had done right on their previous outing, fixed the mistakes, and essentially released "Phobia 2.0" which despite its lack of innovation and mold breaking, still stands as a solid, impressive rock effort.
If a listener can get past their instinctive opposition to the "same old" and listens closely they will find from the first haunting strums of "Fade Away", the album opener, that this is a markedly matured and improved Breaking Benjamin. The first track sets forth a flawless riff combining rhythm, lead and bass guitars that may sound familiar at first listen, but in fact holds many intricacies and complexities that add depth to the song. In fact, this depth is "Dear Agony's" greatest improvement over "Phobia." Most every song feels like great care was taken in its production and composition, evidenced by the lead guitar on "I Will Not Bow" which conveys a sense of urgency, the aforementioned bass/guitar riffs on "Fade Away" and "Hopeless", the placement of breaks throughout the album (especially in using drums as an actual instrument, not simply laying down a beat) and the inclusion of strings on "Anthem of the Angels" and "Without You." Benjamin Burnley performs his vocal duties admirably, never sounding whiny or raspy, a fault that plagued him in previous efforts, instead conveying emotion and authority. This is especially prominent on the emotional ballad "Give Me A Sign" and the hard hitting "Lights Out." This heavy track also features a guitar solo which rather than interrupting the song, flows seamlessly into the music.
Lyrics are another aspect where we see Breaking Benjamin tighten their act. No doubt this has much to do with Benjamin Burnley crafting his songs sober this effort, and we as the listener reap the rewards. His songwriting is cryptic as always, but his songs no longer meander around spouting statements that contradict each other but instead have actual complexity, rather than simply chaos. The themes themselves are nothing original from the band (fighting against the tide, pressing on despite being alone, etc. though a few tracks touch on illness, and "Anthem of the Angels" is a chilling song dealing with the death of a loved one due to sickness) but the lyrics themselves feel tighter and more focused. Production also is at a high, as each instrument is allowed to breathe, with songs such as "Crawl" especially showcasing a newly discovered bassist.
"Dear Agony" however, is by no means flawless. It is a shame that two of the album's most fascinating topical premises fall short in their musical delivery: the title track and "Into The Nothing." Both suffer the same problem: they simply lack a distinguishing, unique element to allow them to rise above the other tracks. "Agony" has a bland guitar toning and is a mid-tempo rocker that flounders instead of moving at a steady pace. "Into The Nothing" has a riff that sounds generic despite a prominent bass and is predictable despite a fascinating lyrical premise. However, these last tracks on the album are prevented from bringing "Agony" to a lackluster conclusion, as "Without You" is an emotional tour de force, rising to a climatic finish, with Burnley shouting "I forgive you, forget you, the end!" and seamlessly transitioning to a chilling orchestral outro that will leave you with chills as the strings bring forth a haunting, yet uplifting piece to close out the album, giving you a sense of fulfillment as your stereo goes silent.
Overall, "Dear Agony" certainly does not redefine Breaking Benjamin or explore any new areas (aside from the inclusion of two orchestral pieces on "Anthem of the Angels" and "Without You." It is interesting to note that Jasen Rauch, former guitarist for Red, known for its own orchestral pieces, co-wrote the latter) However, the band nonetheless took most of what they did wrong, and discarded it while taking all the things they did right and improving and honing them. The end result? An album which viewed by itself is hard-pressed to match in its authority and consistency.
