The Official BREAKING BENJAMIN Thread

Discuss any band that's not called Alter Bridge.
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Re: The Official BREAKING BENJAMIN Thread

Post by Fish Tacos »

Just heard Angels Fall tonight, pretty generic if you ask me. Has a bit more of that Dear Agony feel that I didn't really care for.

Also heard Defeated tonight. Initial impressions had me liking the riff but it seems completely out of place paired with the verse music. I kind of have mixed feelings about the song itself - the chorus is catchy but overall song lyrics seem kind of lazy.

Out of the 3 I've heard, I'm favoring Failure.

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Re: The Official BREAKING BENJAMIN Thread

Post by anguyen92 »

I'll be honest. I'm enjoying these songs so far. I may give the album a whirl if it comes out. Hopefully, it's better than the Three Days Grace's new album (I'm referencing them here, since their line-up changed as well and both bands had similar success in active rock).

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Re: The Official BREAKING BENJAMIN Thread

Post by AB4Lyfe »

So far, I've enjoyed two out of the three: Angels Fall and Defeated. Didn't care too much for Failure, it just felt TOO much like an average BB song.
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Re: The Official BREAKING BENJAMIN Thread

Post by SHEAKENBAKEN »

[youtube]http://youtu.be/5QkOOnrNti8[/youtube]

Interesting note @3:17-4:20

I didn't know that Ben was also the primary music writer and not just the primary singer/lyric writer. Thought it would have been the guys playing the instruments themselves that came up with their own parts. :shrug :headscratch

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Re: The Official BREAKING BENJAMIN Thread

Post by Fish Tacos »

Good find Shea. I wonder why Dear Agony sounds so different then if it was mostly Ben, but that is pretty cool that the guy is practically a one man show.

I like the way Ben does interviews. It seems more like how I feel I would act if I was doing one rather than the super tactful way some other artists interview. It's cool to hear he's open to collaboration, but only time will tell if the others feel he is open to their ideas. Was anyone else thrown for a loop at seeing a bunch of older guys in the new band photo? I guess the last picture I saw was this one and seeing Ben look how he does now threw me off

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Re: The Official BREAKING BENJAMIN Thread

Post by SHEAKENBAKEN »

Shit quality leaked snippets of each song off the new album
[youtube]http://youtu.be/PiNiq1ZqK68[/youtube]

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Re: The Official BREAKING BENJAMIN Thread

Post by Andy92 »

Full album stream on iTunes. Checking it out now.
anguyen92 wrote:Oh well. Deal with it.

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Re: The Official BREAKING BENJAMIN Thread

Post by Andy92 »

Ashes of Eden...hands down best song on the album. I got chills listening to that.
anguyen92 wrote:Oh well. Deal with it.

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Re: The Official BREAKING BENJAMIN Thread

Post by SHEAKENBAKEN »

Andy92 wrote:Full album stream on iTunes. Checking it out now.
Too bad it's a US ONLY stream. So stupid. I heard the album on YouTube in 240p slowed down with the speed change suggestion and it sounded great. Can't imagine what 1080p 320kpbs cd sounds like. Can't wait!

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Re: The Official BREAKING BENJAMIN Thread

Post by anguyen92 »

Pretty solid enough and enjoyable album for me to hear. The stretch from Never Again to Defeated was really good and enjoyable to hear. That stated, I feel like something was missing in Ashes of Eden. It felt like it was building up towards a climax or a tempo change from slow to fast, but didn't really get there.

Liked Hollow, Never Again, The Great Divide, Defeated, and Angel's Fall. I still prefer Dear Agony from their catalog though I have yet to hear Saturate and We Are Not Alone.

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Re: The Official BREAKING BENJAMIN Thread

Post by Andy92 »

I think it's a pretty good album considering the entire band changed and Ben has gone through a lot medically over the past few years. I think they set out to make an album that sounded as close to the Breaking Benjamin as everyone has come to know. The only downfall to this is that not many of the songs take any risks. Although the songs are all solid, they can also be a bit repetitive. Even the lyrics/themes repeat themselves often.

Ben still has a way to create an emotional connection with the way he sings. I like the symbolism in the artwork with the ultrasound of his child being used as the shadow over the sun. He knows how to paint a picture with his writing as always. I can relate to a handful of the lyrical themes with some stuff I've been going through lately, and that's what I've always loved about Ben's writing. Musically, I hear a lot of Phobia influence in this album with some Dear Agony type stuff in places. It feels like a standard progression from Dear Agony, and I hope this unit stays together for a while and can build chemistry as a band. That'd give me some confidence that now that Ben is back with the first new album under his belt, the band can expand and experiment a little bit with future releases.

Favorites after a few listens are Ashes of Eden, Great Divide, Hollow, and Defeated.
anguyen92 wrote:Oh well. Deal with it.

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Re: The Official BREAKING BENJAMIN Thread

Post by Timotheus »

It's okay. It was an enjoyable listen and it has some great moments but I thought it was a little uninspired at times. There's are only 1 or 2 songs that sound a bit different and are slightly unique.

I agree that the last few songs were the strongest. My favourite song was probably The Great Divide. I really liked Ashes Of Eden as well, but the autotune was so obvious in this song that it became distracting. I thought the end of the song suffered from uncreative songwriting as well. That last chorus didn't add anything. The intro and outro of the record (Dark and Dawn) both were pretty good as well.
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anguyen92 wrote:
Oh well. Deal with it.

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Re: The Official BREAKING BENJAMIN Thread

Post by Dolo »

This record is horribly repetative, but what really can you except from BB? It seems like the songs they released before are actually the strongest. Pity that they don't take any risks with songwriting, only playing it safe.
Check out my solo project Slight Isolationism:

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Re: The Official BREAKING BENJAMIN Thread

Post by anguyen92 »

Honestly, there's nothing wrong with that as long as they made it enjoyable to hear. Three Days Grace, pretty much, did the same thing with their new album, which is to take that formula that spawned numerous hits on US rock radio, but I found it boring to hear. I also prefer Ben's voice than the new Three Days Grace singer, which makes listening to Dark Before Dawn a whole lot better to go through than listening to Human.

If you didn't like this Dark Before Dawn, Dolo, don't listen to Three Days Grace's Human. I guarantee you will not like it.

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Re: The Official BREAKING BENJAMIN Thread

Post by Dolo »

anguyen92 wrote: If you didn't like this Dark Before Dawn, Dolo, don't listen to Three Days Grace's Human. I guarantee you will not like it.
Sure thing man, I used to like TDG but my musical taste changed and now I prefer something more ambitious.
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Re: The Official BREAKING BENJAMIN Thread

Post by austinjhnsn »

Listening now, not getting my hopes up for anything too special.
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Thanks Timo!

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Re: The Official BREAKING BENJAMIN Thread

Post by facelessman07 »

anguyen92 wrote:Honestly, there's nothing wrong with that as long as they made it enjoyable to hear. Three Days Grace, pretty much, did the same thing with their new album, which is to take that formula that spawned numerous hits on US rock radio, but I found it boring to hear. I also prefer Ben's voice than the new Three Days Grace singer, which makes listening to Dark Before Dawn a whole lot better to go through than listening to Human.

If you didn't like this Dark Before Dawn, Dolo, don't listen to Three Days Grace's Human. I guarantee you will not like it.

Your sig just caught my eye. "Here to You" is a FANTASTIC song!

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Re: The Official BREAKING BENJAMIN Thread

Post by SHEAKENBAKEN »

Okay so I decided to make an in-depth all-in-one album review so I don't continue to make repeated posts and/or small posts for small things.

TRACKLIST RANKING:
12. Dawn
11. Dark
10. Ashes of Eden
9. Angels Fall
8. Failure
7. Defeated
6. The Great Divide
5. Never Again
4. Hollow
3. Bury Me Alive
2. Close To Heaven
1. Breaking The Silence

SOLOS: There's very little to no solos on this album but the only one that stands out to me is the one from Hollow.

LYRICS & VOCAL MELODY
Favorite Chorus:
Close To Heaven wrote:So I'll stay unforgiven
And I'll keep love together
And I'll be yours forever
I'll sleep close to heaven
I'll sleep close to heaven
Favorite Bridge:
The Great Divide wrote:Follow the sunlight down
Cry clear and loud
Heaven wont help us now
But it's better this way
Warm light wash me away
Favorite Pre-Chorus:
Defeated wrote:And I'll be the fire that dries the flood
Favorite Verse:
Angels Fall wrote:Grey skies will chase the light away
No longer
I fought the fight
Now only dark remains forever
Favorite Outro:
Failure wrote:We bury the sunlight (Failure), we bury the sunlight (Failure).
Failure! Failure.
We bury the sunlight (Failure), we bury the sunlight (Failure).
Failure! Failure.
Failire.
FAVORITE INSTRUMENTAL SECTIONS PER SONG (SOLOS CAN BE INCLUDED BUT NO VOCALS)1.Dark (there's a recording throughout the whole song so it's voided)
2.Failure (2:16-2:30)
3.Angels Fall (0:00-0:29)
4.Breaking The Silence (2:00-2:18)
5.Hollow (2:27-2:58)
6.Close To Heaven (2:34-2:45)
7.Bury Me Alive (0:00-0:31)
8.Never Again (0:00-0:25)
9.The Great Divide (0:00-0:17)
10.Ashes of Eden (0:00-0:22)
11.Defeated (0:00-0:10)
12.Dawn (0:00-0:48)

LEAST FAVE - FAVE VOCAL PERFORMANCES (MELODIES COUNT IN MY RANKING)
12. Dawn
11. Dark
10. Defeated
9. Never Again
8. Bury Me Alive
7. Failire
6. Ashes of Eden
5. The Great Divide
4. Angels Fall
3. Breaking The Silence
2. Hollow
1. Close To Heaven

TRACK-BY-TRACK BREAKDOWN
1.Dark: Very atmospheric opener for the album. I loved the way the vocals progressed throughout the song until the climax near the end.
Pros: The atmosphere.
Cons: It could have been longer and more experimental.

2.Failure: Standard single material. I think the vocals in the chorus were some of the best on the album
Pros: The chorus is very catchy. I found it very easy to sing along to.
Cons: It’s not long enough

3.Angels Fall: Again a very radio-friendly idea for a single.
Pros: The chorus is catchy.
Cons: It’s not long enough

4.Breaking The Silence: Classic BB riff. Great tempo to the verses. Liked the return of Ben’s growly vocals in the chorus. Great chorus. Liked the audible bass line in the bridge and the bridge riff.
Pros: The chorus is very catchy. I found it very easy to sing along to.
Cons: It’s not long enough.

5.Hollow: The Intro starts off at a good tempo and heads straight into a classic riff. Verse continues with the same good tempo. The chorus is the standout of the track. Very catchy. The solo was decent and the Ben vocals afterwards were again a nice departure.
Pros: The instrumental break with the solo.
Cons: It’s not long enough

6.Close To Heaven: The bridge riff was a good departure from the rest of the songs mood. I like the lyrics in this one more than most.
Pros: The chorus is very catchy and has a great melody. I found it very easy to sing along to.
Cons: It’s not long enough

7.Bury Me Alive: It has a strange idea for the verse vocals, IMO. I wasn’t sure how to feel about them. The main riff is a great rocker and the classic Ben growl-like vocals in the song were a nice surprise. Bridge is another rocker.
Pros: The chorus is very catchy. I found it very easy to sing along to.
Cons: It’s not long enough

8.Never Again: Has a great riff that throws you right into the song. But I think it could have been longer. The verses and choruses all have a great melody to them. The chorus of this song really reminds me of classic Ben for some reason.
Pros: It’s a fun song to rock out to.
Cons: It’s not long enough

9.The Great Divide: Classic BB opening riff. Very heartfelt chorus lyrics. The verses are a bit monotonous. The bridge is a very pleasant surprise in the song. I thought the melody and the guitars went very well together.
Pros: One of the best bridges on the album.
Cons: It’s not long enough

10.Ashes of Eden: Decent Intro. I thought the verses dragged on a bit. The pre-chorus and chorus vocals seemed a bit odd to me for some reason; but I can’t put my finger on it.
Pros: It added some diversity to the album.
Cons: It’s not long enough. I think Ben doesn’t have the best vocals for a slow ballady type song such as this; and that made the song suffer a bit.

11.Defeated: The vocals in this song especially seem the least raw. I really get that sense in the chorus.
Pros: The chorus is very catchy. I found it very easy to sing along to.
Cons: It’s not long enough.

12.Dawn: I thought that it was again not very experimental or climactic like the opener; and the vocals could have been utilized better.
Pros: It was only a short song.
Cons: It wasn’t experimental enough.

MISC. COMMENTS
There was an overuse of vocal effects on Ben’s voice
I thought there was mention of the new members being able to do backing vocals but I heard none
I thought that the guitar work was very monotonous and too similar. They need to experiment more in order to be more than just ear candy.
There wasn’t enough solos
The production could have been better.
It wasn’t long enough.

Lyrics: 7/10
Instrumentals: 6/10
Vocals: 6/10
Length: 6/10
Overall I give Dark Before Dawn a grade C as an album.

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Re: The Official BREAKING BENJAMIN Thread

Post by Fish Tacos »

FUCK YEAH LIST PORN!!

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Re: The Official BREAKING BENJAMIN Thread

Post by SHEAKENBAKEN »

Fish Tacos wrote:FUCK YEAH LIST PORN!!

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I'm not ashamed to admit it but that's basically what it is. I love making lists of things and I've probably made over a thousand random stupid lists in my life of music and gaming. It's what I do. I make at least 5 lists a week now since I work. I make a list everyday of the stuff I can stock from the backroom.

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