Diamonds in the Rough 09.27.09: The Final Edition! Featuring Breaking Benjamin

Posted by Leo Rivera on 09.27.2009

It's the last ever Diamonds in the Rough and Leo goes out with a bang! as he takes a look at the top band in modern rock today!!! He also has a few extra words as he sounds off on the state of modern rock!!

Well, the time has arrived! It is time to call it a day once and for all, and ride it has been! I kicked things off back in November of 2008 with the mighty Sevendust and since then I have plowed through some of the best bands in modern rock. I have had the privilege of covering everyone from: Shinedown to Our Lady Peace, Hoobastank to Mudvayne, Drowning Pool to Saliva, Trapt to Five Finger Death Punch and Pillar to Dope. Unfortunately, there are plenty that I have not had a chance to cover. Being that this is my final article, I will have a bonus section after this weeks subject, where I sound off on all things modern rock and look at what lies ahead for my beloved rock genre.

Now before I get to that, I want to give a few thank you shout outs (hey it's my last dance so corny or not I'm entitled to some shout outs!). first off I want to thank all of the people who support modern rock and this article week in and week out, every time it seems like we are a dying breed, one of our bands hits one out the park and puts us right back on the map. I want to especially that Dave!! Who has been a strong supporter of this article since day one and has always had positive feedback, thanks my man! Your comments mean a lot and are very rewarding, that is how we get paid around here and it is a rewarding feeling to get positive feedback. A big thank you to Mitch Michaels and Ben Cajowski for the opportunity, I know I have not been the easiest person to work with (deadlines are serious kids!) so thank you! And also a shout out to all of the fact checker commenter's that pop up from time to time. Than k you for keeping me in check and challenging me to be a better writer, I appreciate that! And last but certainly not least, a huge thank you to my girlfriend for putting up with my weekend writing binges; thank you boo I owe you one!

Alrighty, now that I got that off my chest, let's get on with it shawl we! Ladies and gentleman, we are going out in style! I give to you the future of modern rock, the phenomenal Breaking Benjamin.



Breaking Benjamin formed in 1998 when vocalist/guitarist Benjamin Burley and drummer Jeremy Hummel, began jamming together. I know you are probably wondering "why the hell would you name your band Breaking Benjamin?" Well as the story goes, the band was playing a live show when Benjamin accidentally dropped and broke the house mic. The owner of the microphone came on stage and sardonically said "I'd like to thank Benjamin for breaking my fucking microphone." And thus Breaking Benjamin was born! It's really that simple, bands don't go into a conference room and have elaborate behind closed doors meetings to come up with the name or concept of the band (well I am sure there are a few bands lame enough to pull that shit) but most of the time, it just happens.

Around 1999, two of Burleys close friends, guitarists Aaron Fink and bassist Mark Klepaski joined the band making it a quartet. The line-up was set with four totally different personalities meshed into one formidable unit. Benjamin Burnley has become notorious for approaching his song writing very seriously and being extremely self critical, whereas bassist Mark Klepanski is the cool showman of the group with a laid back swagger found more in hip hop artists than rockers. And Aaron Finck is the quintessential guitar nerd (I mean that in a good way, dude can wail on the guitar).



Breaking Benjamin Gained a strong following in their home state of Pennsylvania, they independently released a self-titled E.P. which went on to sell all 2,000 copies that were manufactured. Not long after that, record labels start knocking on their door, the band eventually signed with Hollywood Records in 2002. Breaking Benjamin released their debut album Saturate later that year.



The first song off Saturate ("Wish I May") was Breaking Benjamin's formal introduction to the rock world (outside of PA) and what an introduction it was! Upon listening to the intro to "Wish I May" you feel like you (figuratively) get knocked on your ass thanks to a solid punch to the face! The first song on a debut album is always crucial and can set the tone for how new listeners are going to accept your music, and as a new hard rock band arriving at the scene, Breaking Benjamin absolutely knocked it out of the park with that song. It proves that Breaking Benjamin packs a brutal punch of hard rocking guitar riffs with a mean rhythm section and a singer who can scream as good as he can sing a lethal combination indeed. "Medicate" was another hard rocker which is actually reminiscent of Nirvana, showing where they got their influences from. "Polyramous" (the first single) was also heavy, but like the first two songs, extremely melodic, with up-tempo choruses, something that Breaking Benjamin have perfected.

The selection of the second single "Skin" was a classic case of a young band having to compromise to the much powerful record label. As story goes, the band originally wanted to go with "Medicate" as the second single, but the label wanted the more catchy and poppy "Skin" instead. The band succumbed and "Skin" fared poorly at radio stations throughout the country, proving the band right. It was a swift kick in the ass and a reality check for Breaking Benjamin, moving forward they were going to go with their gut instinct. To this day, Benjamin refuses to sing that song when they play it live and instead has the audience sing the lyrics.

The rest of Saturate proved that Breaking Benjamin were talented and diverse enough to stand the test of time, in this ever changing music industry. Heck they even had a Wizard of Oz themed song on the album titled "Home" which rocked! The album peaked at #2 on the Billboard heatseekers chart and #136 in the billboard top 200. The band toured throughout 2003, cultivating a loyal fan base that would prove to be crucial as the bands career progressed.



Breaking Benjamin released their second album titled We Are Not Alone in 2004. This album proved that Breaking Benjamin were no flash in the pan. As a matter of fact, the band were able to steer clear of the bloodshed of 2003, were literally hundreds of bands were dropped from record labels due to a changing of the guard. They returned un-phased in 2004 were the musical landscape had changed dramatically and left them as one of the last remaining modern rock bands from the nu-metal era (alongside P.O.D, Papa Roach and newer bands like Three Days Grace and Seether). They also returned with a compilation of tracks that would serve as a blue print for how modern rock should sound moving forward into a new era.

The first track (and first single) "So Cold" was the perfect continuation for the Breaking Benjamin story, as it moved the band into a darker more brooding (yet explosive) sound. "So Cold" was actually a fusion of two previously unreleased songs "Inertia" and "Always." The song ushered Breaking Benjamin into the forefront of modern rock as it reached #2 on the billboard mainstream rock chart. The band also played the song on mainstream outlets like Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Last Call with Carlson Daily and Jimmy Kimmel Live.

The next song "Simple Design" was more like the Breaking Benjamin we learned to love in Saturate with the level turned up to 100! An amazing hard rock song and definitely worth a listen, the next song "Follow" was even better and perfectly written. As a matter of fact it was co-written by none other than Smashing Pumpkins front man Billy Corgan. Corgan also co-wrote the ballads "Rain" and "Forget It."

Overall We Are Not Alone was a near perfect modern rock record with plenty of substance and radio ready songs. "Firefly", "Sooner or Later" and "Breakdown" all became hits on radio and "Away" and the vicious "Believe" were also standout tracks. The album debuted at #20 (as compared to #136 two years prior) and sold an impressive 48,000 copies in its first week and became certified platinum by late 2005.

As successful as 2004-2005 was for Breaking Benjamin, it was not without drama. In September of 2004, founding member Jeremy Hummel was relieved of his duties as drummer. In retaliation, Hummel filed a federal lawsuit against the band the following. He asked for more than $8 million dollars in damages claiming he was not paid for songs that he helped write. He claimed he never received any payments from the making of We Are Not Alone which he co-wrote. He was eventually replaced by current drummer Chad Szeliga.



After a strenuous 2005 (both on the touring front and behind the scenes) Breaking Benjamin took a brief break (no pun intended) before returning to the studio to record their third album. If We Are Not Alone put Breaking Benjamin on the map, the Phobia put them on top of modern rock for good! Phobia was even better than their sophomore effort and showed a stronger focus on songwriting and beautifully crafted rock songs. The lead single "Diary of Jane" took the song the slow burn song writing of "So Cold" and pushed it even further and a perfect sing along chorus makes this a memorable single. The next song is probably the most important song ever written by Breaking Benjamin. If I could use one song as an example to describe just how amazing Breaking Benjamin is, it would be "Breath." A perfect song from top to bottom simply awesome! Great intro strong hooks, great lead in chorus, perfect! And I am not the only one who thinks so; "Breath" became the bands first #1 single and bought Breaking Benjamin to the apex of modern rock.



Phobia is a powerful album chalk full of emotionally charged ballads and powerful rockers that takes the listeners on an exciting rollercoaster ride. "You" is a tormenting track, while "Evil Angel" is a beautifully sung power ballad about dealing with ones consciousness. "Until The End" is a rocker in the vein of "Breakdown", "Dance with the Devil" is another harrowing depiction of staring death right in the face. The curiously titled "Topless" is probably the most straight forward hard rocker in the album, while "Here we Are" by comparison is probably the slowest and weakest on the album. "Unknown Soldier" is a thriller of a rocker as the bands treads in unchartered waters of songwriting on this one. "Had Enough" is another in your face rocker, which helps counteract the ballads on the album, while "You Fight Me" fills like a filler song that could have been done without, but even then it's a descent song that falls victim to palling in comparison to the amazing tracks on this record.

Throughout 2007, the band toured behind the album and subsequently became arena headliners. They headline a yearlong tour that featured Seether and Three Days Grace and featured a rotating line up of strong opening bands that included Red, Hurt, Puddle of Mudd and Skillet officially making them the leader of the pack, and rightfully so!



After returning home in early 2008, Breaking Benjamin was afforded the luxury of being able to take their time recording their fourth album and reap the fruits of their labor. The result of their yearlong recording session, is Dear Agony set to be released this Tuesday September 29th. And if the first single "I Will Not Bow" is any indication, this will be a record for the ages! "I Will Not Bow" signifies everything that Breaking Benjamin is: a relentless hard rock band capable of the best hooks and riffs ever heard and with an unbelievable penchant for tight song writing and unparalleled song flow. As good as Breaking Benjamin's career has been, Dear Agony will be the icing on the cake, ladies and gentleman let the games begin!


Bonus: Sounding off on the state of modern rock :

First off, I have had the privilege about writing about a lot of cool bands, but unfortunately there have also been a ton of bands that deserve recognition and I just never got a chance to write on them.

-Those bands include: P.O.D., Flyleaf, Soil, 30 Seconds to Mars, 12 Stones, and Decypher Down to name a few.

-Speaking of which Flyleaf have a new album due out in October titled Memento Mori which I am looking forward to, the lead single "Again" is out now so check that out.

-Also Soil is due for a new album in October as well titled Picture Perfect and it will be interesting to hear what they sound like as a four piece.

-30 Seconds to Mars are also due for their long awaited follow up to 2005 amazing A Beautiful Lie titled War. If this album is as good as the last, then we are in for a treat.

One of the bands that I feel have become largely forgotten in the past 2 years is P.O.D.. and I think it's a damn shame, as I mentioned in this article, P.O.D. were one of the rap/rock groups that actually survived the bloodshed of 2003, and it wasn't because of luck, this band is that damn good! I feel like the Jason Truby years are grossly overlooked and the two albums they wrote with him as guitarist (2003's Payable on Death and 2006's Testify) are s a couple of the best albums released this decade and showcase just how talented P.O.D. are without the blanket of being a rap/rock hybrid.

-Speaking of P.O.D. it turns out they are on a hiatus at the moment while original guitarist Marcus Cruiel focuses on his side project. You know what, I think it is ironic that the reason why P.O.D. dismissed Cruel in the first place is because he was involved in other project, now just one album after his return, he is working on a side project. With all due respect to Cruel, you're either in or you're out bro, because P.O.D needs you! Besides I liked Truby better.

-Anyway Cruels side project does seem interesting, it's called Daylight Division and features an array of talented rock outcasts including Lucas Rossi (Rock star Supernova) on vocals, Dave Bruckner (ex-Papa Roach) on drums and Joe Loffler (ex-Chevelle) on bass. So let's bring back Truby to P.O.D. and leave Cruel here.

-To be honest with you, I am a little disappointed with some of the modern rock releases this fall so far, I feel like most of the albums are kind of flat, and it makes me look bad! Tantric new album gets a pass for being ballsy and experimental, while The Used's latest offering seems watered down and bland when compared to their earlier material. Chevelles Sci-Fi crimes is pretty good but aside from the single "Jars" none of the songs really standout, or maybe it's just me.

-One Album that really has impressed me and has been the best release of the fall (in modern rock) thus far (until next week and Dear Agony) is Three Days Grace Life Starts Now. This album is simply awesome! From start to finish and definitely worth a listen (screw the haters) this is partially due to the awesome production of the incredible Howard Benson.

-Speaking of which, I have to say one of the un-sung heroes in modern rock over the last decade (and the true Diamond in the Rough) is one Howard Benson. This man has been the key figure behind the boards of some of modern rocks best albums ever, and he deserves my props!

-That said, it's been a blast, its 1:00 am and I'm past my deadline (again!) so I got to go! Thank you all so much, and I will catch on the flip side, peace I'm out!