Breaking Benjamin - Phobia

More of the same (i.e. Emo Hard Rock) from the Pennsylvania quartet.

September 11, 2006

by Spence D.

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As part of the whole new school hard rock movement (think Staind, Cold, Godsmack, Nickelback, etc.) Breaking Benjamin has amassed a loyal mainstream following since they debuted in 2002 with Saturate. Just as with their sonically like-minded brethren, BB persist in delivering crunching guitars topped off with somewhat generic, angst ridden vocals that waffle between being plaintive and aggressive. Frontman Ben Burnley has one of those somewhat innocuous voices that is crystal clear, delivers just the right amount of emotion, fluctuating between contemplative subjectivity and growling anger. It's pretty standard by 2006 hard rock standards, as evidenced on the album's blazing single "The Diary of Jane" and pretty much every other track on the album. What's lacking in Burnley's voice is any distinction that separates it from the rest of the pack.

BB's strength really lies in the music itself, which is at turns somewhat run-of-the-mill in the way that the pummeling guitars sear and shred amidst the competent rhythm escalade. But axeman Aaron Fink manages to keep things interesting, shredding when appropriate while Chad Szeliga and Mark James Klepaski keep the rhythmic surge rolling like a bulldozer. There are nice, albeit all-too-brief, flourishes of acousticality tucked away on songs like "Breath" and "Here We Are," which add a much needed depth to the proceedings.

Meanwhile numbers like "You" create somewhat mesmerizing sonic scenarios thanks to piercing guitar and Burnley's plaintive wail/croon. This is offset by neo-ballads like "Evil Angel," which despite the title is a slightly warm lament overstuffed with emphatic emotion. The similarly doomsday titled "Until The End" begins with crushing guitars, bass, and drums, then quickly turns into melodic melodrama. The nihilistic titles continue with "Dance With The Devil," though the song isn't half as fiery as the name would suggest.

On the other hand, "Topless," which could easily have been a pole dance swagger, is all grit (at least as gritty as BB can muster) and blitz, mostly thanks to Fink, Szeliga, and Klepaski's turgid convergence. The steamroller blow-out at the end of the track is one of the few moments of true unbridled glory on the album. Ditto for the strange neo electronic scourge of "You Fight Me," which presents the band in a stripped down sound that works well with their accumulated parts. The album's closing number is an acoustic version of "The Diary of Jane," which presents the track in a stripped down version that still sounds somewhat generic, but also resonates with much more passion and intimacy than the original version.

It's easy to see why Breakin Benjamin has such a strong following. They've mastered the intersection of hard rock and emo-oriented introspection, thus creating a combination that appeals to the greater multitudes. Not a bad thing, but also not a terribly memorable or earth shattering one, either.

Link: http://music.ign.com/articles/729/729428p1.html