Breaking Benjamin "Ember" Album Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 3/5 Stars

The post-grunge and alternative metal band Breaking Benjamin has been one of the most loved mainstream rock groups ever since their immensely successful debut, "Saturate". Like a lot of people, I didn't discover the band until "Phobia". That album instantly won me over. I still listen to it to this day, and if anything, I like it more now than I did in the past. I've been a fan of a lot of BB's albums, although "Dear Agony" was personally a bit underwhelming to me. I also believe that no BB album is entirely flawless, because the band has never really expanded on their sound much. They felt like they were on the threshold of evolving with "Dark Before Dawn", an excellent album in my opinion, with some of Ben Burnley's best vocals to date. So I was interested to see what BB would do with "Ember". I'll admit, I was a little worried about the album because the band/record label felt it was necessary to release FIVE singles in advance (which is half the album as the beginning and end track are just intro and outro cuts). That amount of singles is ridiculously excessive in my opinion. Overall, "Ember" is a fine album. I appreciate that it goes in a more intense direction, but for every good song on here there is one that is underwhelming or boring.

There are several high points to talk about that appear on the album. I think that there's probably only one song on this release that has potential to make it into my top 10 BB songs. Still, there are several tracks to commend. I think the album starts off excellently with the combination of the intro track "Lyra" and the second lead single "Feed The Wolf". The former is a pretty cool piano led track. It gives the album a sense of excitement and anticipation, which I definitely appreciated. Its ominous atmosphere is perfect for "Feed The Wolf"'s dark lyrical content. I think this song, out of all the tracks on the album, is the most different sounding for the band. Something about it just feels new and refreshing for them. It does have BB's signature introspective lyrics, and I think they are beautifully written: "Carry me through this world alive/I feel no more this suffering/Bury me in this cold light/I feed the wolf and shed my skin". The chorus in this song absolutely soars, with Ben hitting a chillingly beautiful high note. I wish he would use his higher register more throughout this release, honestly. The usage of screams in this song is also well done, as they are thrown into the mix subtly rather than becoming over the top (unfortunately, the overuse of screams in "Ember" do become a detractor, more on that later). "Tourniquet" is also a solid track, even if it does repeat its chorus a little too much. I think the musicality of this cut is what really makes me enjoy it, as it is fairly intense, and has some very talented drumming going on. The guitar riff is a lot of undeniable fun. Another more unique song on the album comes in "The Dark of You", which might be the softest track the band has done. This also is the first feature the band has done. Derek Hough, a former contestant on "Dancing With The Stars", provides guest vocals significantly on this song. I think the chemistry between him and Ben is spot on. I could really feel the emotion in this track, and I think the electronic flares the song has actually helps lift the emotion up even more. This track doesn't quite compare to other emotive BB ballads like "Forget It" or especially "Ashes of Eden", but I still like it quite a bit.

The second half of this album also boasts some good tracks. "Torn In Two" was one of the more anticipated tracks on the album, as it was cut from "Dark Before Dawn" and Ben wasn't even sure it was going to see the light of the day. Maybe part of the reason I love the song so much is because I am such a big fan of that album. This song sound like it could be right at home on it. The cut is so musically dynamic, constantly shifting pace in unpredictable and interesting ways. I especially like the compellingly cinematic sounding chorus, something that BB hasn't really done before. This track does a good job of keeping the listener on their toes, right up until the memorable ending. My favorite song on the album comes in "Blood", which is easily one of BB's most intense songs to date, if not their most intense. I couldn't help smiling while listening to this track, as this is the type of song I've always wanted the band to do. Even though I think they could've pushed the envelope even further on the song, I still can't deny that I love it. The line "It's in my blood" feels very iconic; I can see fans screaming that line out in concerts. The intensity of this song is delightful to me, with the guitar riffs cutting into the song hard. The riffs get to show off especially at the ending of the song, and I think you'd have to be crazy to not headbang. The album ends off on a pretty good note with "Close Your Eyes" and the outro "Lyra". "Close Your Eyes" is not the most impactful ending track the band has done, but it is still a solid song that I enjoy.

For all the good in this album, there are unfortunately a lot of issues I have with it as well. There are some tracks in specific that stand out to me as weak. My opinion on lead single "Red Cold River" has been shifting ever since I first heard it. As of right now, I'm feeling more negatively towards it overall. Ultimately, the song is standard Breaking Benjamin fare, trying to have the same appeal as other tracks like "I Will Not Bow" and "Diary of Jane". The song's theme of a very generalized internal struggle ("I can't feel anything at all/This life has left me cold and damned") provides no real connection or sense of emotion, in my opinion. Also, the pre-chorus is pretty weak, with Ben's screams sounding muffled and lifeless. That's a trend in even some of the better songs on the album. The screaming in this release as a whole is not executed that well, and I think that's because Ben just doesn't have the most impressive screaming technique. "Pyscho" starts out promisingly enough, but it soon delves into the same type of BB material we've heard in the past. This song's musical structure is also very bizarre to me, with these more pop/rock styled verses, and then a chorus that attempts to have a slow burn effect. I also don't think Ben's vocals are that great on this track, which is something that I don't typically say about him. "Down" is definitely the weakest track for me, because it is infuriatingly generic. It's lyrics are about as standard of a pump up song as you can get: "Fight/We'll fight/And bury our lies/We'll break these chains/And wash it away". Lyrics like that can't possibly say anything new or interesting. I'm just so tired of these pump up, radio-ready songs that are constantly hammered out by mainstream rock bands. It's particularly disappointing coming from Ben Burnley, who has made some of the most interesting pump-up tracks I've heard in the past. "Save Yourself" isn't a particularly offensive track, but it is probably the most forgettable on the album. It's once again just something you'd hear on any other BB album. The weak songs do bring this album down. In general, the strong tracks are not innovative enough to completely compensate for the weak moments.

As a whole, I think "Ember" is fine. That's probably the best word that could describe it. There's only three songs on this release that I see myself truly coming back to, with a few others being only potentials to come back to. I don't see myself coming back to this album as a whole that often, if ever, after this review. I know it sounds like I'm being harsh, but this release did disappoint me after all the excellent stuff that the band was doing on "Dark Before Dawn". I do think the band had some good results whenever they actually did go heavy on here. However, the heavier tone doesn't help disguise the more generic parts of this release. I have no doubt that Breaking Benjamin diehards will enjoy this. I can't blame them, as the band is putting out exactly what the fans want. I think I would've been happy with it years back. As of now, though, I just have to say this release isn't doing much for me. It's fun to listen through a couple times, and there are some great standalone moments, but "Ember" won't be leaving any type of mark for my top albums list in 2018. I also don't think it will stand the test of time in Breaking Benjamin's discography as a whole.

Favorite Songs: "Blood", "Feed The Wolf", "Torn in Two", "The Dark of You"
Least Favorite Songs: "Down", "Psycho", "Red Cold River"