Breaking Benjamin
Phobia

THE REVIEW

At the end of 2000, guitarist Aaron Fink and bassist Mark Klepaski left their group, Lifer, to join the creative vocalist and songwriter Benjamin Burnley and drummer Jeremy Hummel, thus forming Breaking Benjamin. The group fits into the crowded post-grunge genre, but unlike many other exponents of this current, although inspired by the usual milestones (even Benjamin Burnley admitted he learned to play the guitar to follow in the footsteps of his idol, Cobain), they manage to develop a unique style of their own, mainly characterized by a lower tuning and a more pronounced melodic component, contrasted with rather heavy chord sequences and the singer's frequent growls.

The debut album, Saturate, was released in 2002, and its distribution was limited to North America. The band's good potential is already on display, but the songs are all somewhat similar to each other and the sound is still raw. With We Are Not Alone in 2004, we notice the first steps forward, also in terms of sales and popularity. The album is driven by the excellent single "So Cold" and the splendid "Firefly," known for appearing in the soundtrack of the game "WWE Smackdown VS Raw." After Hummel's departure in favor of former Sw1tched drummer Chad Szeliga, the third album, Phobia, came out in 2006. Will it be further evolution or a step back?

The album features an even more prominent melodic component than in We Are Not Alone. The first single, "The Diary Of Jane" speaks of a love-hate relationship; it remains a fairly predictable song, but it is decidedly well made. The second, "Breath", is perhaps the best track on the record, quite varied in structure, energetic and flawlessly performed by the entire band; noteworthy is an excellent scream in the interlude. "Until The End", the third single, doesn't convince as much as the other two: it starts off well with a very "grunge" chord progression, but then gets lost with a verse and a chorus that are too soft. A typical radio song, there is much better to be found on the album. The rest features standouts like "Dance With The Devil", showcasing Burnley at his maximum and an excellent performance from Szeliga, and the splendid ballad "Here We Are".

This album also presents some significant flaws: the guitar parts, except for a few rare cases like "Unknown Soldier" and "Topless" (which stands out in style from the others, being a song written even before the debut album), are rather flat and monotonous; the presence of an intro and an outro might suggest a concept album, but it isn't at all, and the lyrics of the various songs are often uninspired and self-serving; sometimes, you encounter senseless growls, as at the end of the chorus of "Until The End".

In conclusion: it's the classic album you can listen to very pleasantly the first two or three times; then the overall monotony makes you want to listen to something else. A solid pass nonetheless: BB manages to produce good music, albeit without offering anything revolutionary in the hard-rock/post-grunge scene. Patience.