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[MUSIC] THE SAVAGE ANIMAL
"First Impressions of Breaking Benjamin" |
12.08.10 |
BY MIKEY MIGO
Sometimes you just miss out on a band. I wouldn’t say I “miss out” on some bands, but there are just some bands that go under the radar for specific people. One of these bands for me is Breaking Benjamin. Everyone else seems to like them, but apparently I’ve missed the boat once again. I know they’re labeled as hard rock, but I don’t know what’s up with them. My perception of them is that they’re a generic rock band; a “generic wrestling theme song” band persae. In my mind I’m quick to lump them up with bands like Nickelback, Kings of Leon, and Bullet for My Valentine as commercial drivel. This is me being a dick and judging a book by its cover.
The truth is that I don’t know. They could be great. At least that’s what I’m hoping for today. I’m going to listen to their four full length studio albums and share my first real impressions of the band. If they are as popular as everyone says then there’s a very good chance I’ve heard more than a few of these songs. That’s the thing though. If I’ve heard them and brushed them off to point of not remembering them then that can’t be a good sign. I’m being optimistic though. I would enjoy not having to spend the next four hours shitting on another popular band. That kind of negativity is a waste of my time and yours. So let’s hope for the best…
SATURATE
[ 2002 | 49:22] We kick off the debut album with "Wish I May". It growls into a pretty decent rock riff. The song has some pretty decent music. The dude’s voice is solid, but I am just not sold on this song. The first track does feel pretty generic, but in 2002 it was probably really awesome. "Medicate" is a step forward. I’m a fan of the break-down-drop thing that Nirvana did all the time. The bass-line is very Nirvana, but the chorus is very Bush. It’s not as a natural of combo as you’d think. Apparently "Polyamorous" was a single, but I really don’t think I ever heard it. It sounds very “singleish”, but lacks in many ways. Next, another single, “Skin”, sounds of blandness. It’s pseudo-edgy pop rock. "Natural Life" sounds like a Bush cover, but well done. I like the vocal delivery and the bouncy guitar riffs make it the best track of theirs I’ve heard so far. "Next to Nothing" is a down tempo ballad-type of track. It’s a bit cliché, but the production is tight and gives it a little cred with me. There is a cool ominous intro to "Water", but it eventually turns into another Bush-sounding chorus, yet not as Gaviny as Gavin. Big fan of the guitar riffs on the opening of "Home". The vocal delivery is much cooler and more unique on this one. This makes a huge world of difference and gets my thumbs up. It’s an angry rock song about the Wizard of Oz. It’s entertaining as hell. It’s like a bongo drum solo to open "Phase". It’s very “tribal”. The bass kicks in. A mellow guitar riff. It’s all building up to something… Another Bush sounding song with some slight metal growl thrown in for good measure. "No Games" is another down tempo track. It’s much better than “Next to Nothing”, but still lacks something I can’t put my finger on. I shit you not; lyrics in this song include “you are an asshole/king of the castle”. Imagine Scott Stapp singing that, stop laughing, and find the song on youtube for yourself. "Sugarcoat" is a contrasting/back and forth kind of song . It’s down tempo for the verses and then the chorus’s are screamed and growled. In "Shallow Bay" we are told over and over that “I don’t think you wanna f*ck with me”. We finish up with "Forever". It’s a down tempo ballad, but has some charm to it. It’s got a laid back sway to it that I wanted to hear more of. I have to keep in mind this is from 2002. It’s almost like Puddle of Mudd meets Sevendust but the vocals are obviously not AJ. It’s different. With the first half of this album I could imagine them having a really successful tour with Lit. If you enjoy Lit, then you’re in for a treat. If not, avoid. The second half is a bit more aggressive, but still sounds like Linkin Park-lite, which wasn’t that heavy to begin with. There is some cussing, but it doesn’t make the songs any cooler. It’s just if you put some less poppy choruses on these songs then it would be a whole different story. I just have some trouble getting fully into them so far. It’s like one step forward with me, two steps back. They managed to have some staying power so I’m going to assume and hope they evolve.
WE ARE NOT ALONE
[ 2004 | 39:30] The opening of "So Cold" sound very familiar. I see it was a single. I remember hearing this but never knew it was them. It sounds nothing like the first album at all. It’s not a bad song at all. It’s a lot better than most of what was on the first album, but it still kind of falls into that generic rock category. It’s good generic rock if that’s any consolation. This song makes them sound like a wimpy version of Disturbed. I want to like "Simple Design", but as soon as it starts sounding good to me the chorus hits and it’s really good rock melody is pussified. I dig the opening bad-assness of "Follow", but then it breaks into something less cool. I guess "Firefly" was on a WWE video game, which makes no sense. It’s a decent tune, but it’s one of the least “wrestling-sounding” songs they have. "Break My Fall" sounds familiar as well, but this time I don’t think I’ve heard it before. It just sounds that way because it sounds like a lot of other songs out there. I like the break down about 2 and a half minutes in, but it’s too short to make much of a difference. Out of nowhere "Forget It" comes with something fresh. It’s a down tempo ballad-like track, but its good stuff. Ben’s vocals shine a lot here and actually has his own voice. The second single, "Sooner or Later" is on now. Apparently it got a lot of play on the radio, TV, and talk shows. This is exactly what I feared. This is a song that I’d avoid at all cost. It sounds exactly how I assumed the band sounded. The opening piano of "Breakdown" sounds like a cover and then we get a scream/growl and it goes into a hard rock tune. THEN the vocals hit and the song mellows. Whatever. I’m already hoping this album ends soon. It feels like a lost cause at this point. Hopefully something drastic happens and the band changes for the last two albums. In a continuing trend, I like the opening of "Away", but it ends up being another bland song. They should have used "Believe" for the WWE video game. It has a good break and sounds more in the ballpark of a generic theme they’d use for a random PPV in the pointless early fall months. We close off with "Rain". It’s an acoustic ballad type of song. It’s not my normal cup of tea, but the vocals sound better here than mimicking other and better rock singers. Sorry, folks. I REALLY want to enjoy myself with this. I want them to blow my mind with something awesome. Sadly, the first two albums of Breaking Benjamin only blow and not my mind. If you’re a fan of these two albums, I’m sorry. There are a few bright spots, but all in all it’s a waste of time. You’d have to be a pretty boring person or have no real desire to fully understand and love the art of music to really get off on this crap. With that said, I’m still holding out for a miracle in the next two albums. I’ve heard and seen plenty bands completely change their style and mature in between their second and third album. At this point, that’s all I can hope for.
PHOBIA
[ 2006 | 43:36] Here goes nothing. The ever so wittily titled "Intro" kicks it off. It’s an instrumental that sounds really cool and eerie. It blends into "The Diary of Jane", their first single off this album. It sounds like something I may have heard in passing, but it doesn’t stand out at all. Musically, the production sounds tighter and more polished. We’ll figure out later if that’s a good thing or bad thing. The second single is next. It’s "Breath". I have definitely heard this before. I didn’t like it then and that doesn’t change now. It’s just too flat for me. It’s well done, but lacks any real emotive drive. We get more laid back with "You". It’s a down tempo tune. It’s not a bad one at all. I’d have to say it’s the best track on the album so far.
The song "Evil Angel" is ridiculously bad. The lyrics are HORRIBLE. I know in music it’s cool to write about contradictions, but an “evil angel” isn’t possible. Maybe a “fallen angel” or something. Did we completely miss the point to “Dogma”? The third single "Until the End" kicks in with some cool guitar work and then breaks into down tempo crooning and then builds back up for the chorus. I can’t help but think about a montage of a single tear flowing down someone’s face while listening to this song. And yes… that tear… is… mine. Keeping up with the “dark” –slash- “spiritual” crap on the album, we have "Dance with the Devil". I spaced out during "Topless", another song that went in one ear and out the other. By the time I realized what I was doing "Here We Are" was almost over. It’s officially become background music to me doing nothing. We hear a helicopter for the beginning of "Unknown Soldier" and then it goes into okay guitars. Then guess it… mellow down tempo vocals that build up to crappy hard rock chorus? Nooo! Mellow down tempo vocals to mellow melodious chorus sung with soooo much “passion” that it makes my toes curl in awe. I need to stress my sarcasm because I reaaaally like this band. (wink) "Had Enough" sounds like a WWE song they’d used to hype something they consider “dramatic”. It’s blandness. I like the pacing of "You Fight Me" and the creepy guitar work is cool. The chorus ruins it again though. We finish up with, surprisingly enough a tune called "Outro". It’s cool music with weird sound bites. Whatever. I don’t have many phobias, but I now have a phobia of this band being the last band I ever hear.
DEAR AGONY
[ 2009| 41:52] The album opens up with a not-so-bad tune called "Fade Away". It’s pretty much the same, but evened out and polished to the point that it’s not jarring or challenging at all to listen to. It’s just there. Without even looking I could tell that "I Will Not Bow" was a single. Isn’t that kind of bad? I mean because it wasn’t because it’s good. It’s because it’s very cookie cutter. Let’s be fair here. I doubt I’m going to like anything else on this album. This music is obviously not my cup of tea and I’m just going to pick at it and make witty comments about it. So in a “First Impressions” first, I’m not going to waste anyone’s time. I’m going to skip though the rest of this album and see if anything stands out. Crap, crap, crap, and more crap. "What Lies Beneath" is good, but graded on a curve of course. The rest of the album sounds like one long shitty song. I now know of the “Agony” they speak of in this album’s title.
VERDICT: BREAKING BENJAMIN
[ 2002 - ] They seem like really nice guys and I always have to show some love for when a band follows their dream and earns a living doing so. That’s always respectable. I’m just not someone this band is making music for. When the band tries to rock, it’s bad. When they go with more down tempo stuff and ballads they sound okay. Some bands are meant for lite-rock radio and I think Breaking Benjamin is one of those bands. It is rock music for the 30-something soccer mom. There is nothing that really hooks me into any of their songs. Nothing pulls me in and makes me want to listen to any of this music again. In fact, I’ll probably make an effort to avoid them. To be honest after the second album I should have just wrapped this column up. After that point, I just started hating it and anxiously waiting for it all to be over. During this “process”, I saw they toured with Three Days Grace, Seether, Puddle of Mudd, and bands like that. I should have known better. I am not a fan of any of those bands. At best I can like one or two of their songs, but enough to listen to their discography? Not a chance. It’s like Kings of Leon, but instead of “pseudo –southern rock”, these guys are “pseudo-hard rock”. And while we’re comparing… I saw a picture of the band during this. Imagine is cool and all. I love Manson, Zombie, Bowie, etc… but these guys look like Abercrombie models or at least employees. Is THAT part of their mass appeal? I’m not getting it. Then again, I have trouble getting why bands like Nickelback, Staind, and Kings of Leon are successful to begin with. Water-down emotion with safe music is not my thing. I typically try to be positive and pick out good things about bands I don’t like, but it’s hard to here. I also try to get in the head of their fans and understand the appeal, but again… it’s hard to here. My biggest gripe is the lyrics and vocal delivery. Just because you CAN sound like Bush, Sevendust, Salvia, or other bands doesn’t mean you should. Dude has a great voice, but I just don’t like how he uses it. It’s a bit cliché and boring. The lyrics are sometimes hokey and bland. The music rocks. It’s some great rock and roll and alt metal tuneage, but the vocals kill it for me. It’s pop rock with a lot of curse words. I came into this optimistic, open minded, and in a good mood. I leave these four albums annoyed, aggravated, and in need of some good booze. Breaking Bad, you owe me booze.
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