Breaking Benjamin: Non-Heavy Metal Music

Breaking Benjamin is a rock band from Pennsylvania that has found success with a sound that is not typically heavy metal. The band has managed to break through to a wider audience by crafting catchy songs with accessible melodies.

Introduction

Formed in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in 1998, Breaking Benjamin quickly established themselves as one of the hardest working bands in rock, using a relentless touring schedule to cultivate a passionate fan base. The band’s signature sound — muscular hard rock underpinned by an almost palpable sense of melody — helped them ease into mainstream success with their major-label debut album Saturate (2002). They enjoyed even greater commercial success with their 2004 follow-up We Are Not Alone and its hit single “Sooner or Later,” which cracked the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. Despite its popularity, the group was dogged by personnel changes throughout its career; after issuing two more albums — 2006’s Phobia and 2009’s Dear Agony — that cracked the Billboard 200, original members Aaron Fink and Mark Klepaski left the fold in 2010. They were replaced by former Sikth guitarist Jasen Rauch and bassist Chuck Garric (of Alice Cooper’s solo band), respectively, who made their recorded debut with Dark Before Dawn (2015).

The Early Years

Forming the band

The Early Years is the first compilation album by American rock band Breaking Benjamin. The album was released on August 16, 2011, and features a collection of the band’s early material, as well as two new songs.

On June 28, 2011, Breaking Benjamin announced that they would be releasing a greatest hits album entitled The Early Years. On the same day, the band also released a new single, “Blow Me Away”, which was included on the video game Halo 2: Anniversary Edition. The album was released on August 16, 2011.

In an interview with Loudwire, drummer Chad Szeliga spoke about the decision to release a greatest hits album and why now was the right time for it:

We’ve always done things kind of off the beaten path and our own way and I think that’s something we take pride in … To go back and revisit some of these songs from 10 years ago with fresh ears was actually really inspiring for all of us … It feels like everything has come full circle in a lot of ways.

First album

The early years of Benjamin Burnley’s musical career began in his home state of Pennsylvania. Here, he formed the band Breaking Benjamin in 1998 with two other musicians. The group released their first album, Saturate, in 2002. The album was a success, and it helped the band to gain a fanbase.

The Success

It’s no secret that many people think of Breaking Benjamin as a heavy metal band. After all, they have toured with bands like Disturbed and Korn, and they have been nominated for a Grammy in the Best Metal Performance category. However, what many people don’t know is that Breaking Benjamin is actually a non-heavy metal band. In fact, they are one of the most successful non-heavy metal bands of all time.

Second album

Breaking Benjamin’s second album, We Are Not Alone, was released on June 28, 2004. The album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart and has been certified double platinum by the RIAA. The album features the singles “So Cold”, “Nobody Else”, and “Break My Fall”.

Mainstream recognition

In early 2002, the band began to receive mainstream recognition after the success of their single ” Polyamorous “. The song peaked at number 29 on Billboard ‘s Mainstream Rock chart. [2] In June 2002, Breaking Benjamin released their second album, We Are Not Alone . [3] The album went on to sell over one million copies, [4] becoming the band’s first album to be certified platinum by the RIAA . [5] The album’s second single ” So Cold ” peaked at number 16 on the Mainstream Rock chart. [6] In August 2005, the band released their third album, Phobia , which debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 , selling 284,000 copies in its first week. [7] The album was certified platinum by the RIAA in March 2006. [8]

In May 2009, Breaking Benjamin released their fourth album Dear Agony . [9] The album’s first single ” I Will Not Bow ” peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 , making it their most successful single to date. [10] The album’s second single ” Crawl ” peaked at number five on the Mainstream Rock chart. [11] In March 2011, Breaking Benjamin entered an indefinite hiatus due to Burnley’s recurring illnesses and difficulty touring. [12]

The present

Breaking Benjamin is an American rock band from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, consisting of lead singer and guitarist Benjamin Burnley and bassist Aaron Fink. The band has released seven studio albums to date, with their most recent, Ember, being released in April 2018. Non-Heavy Metal Music is their first album in over four years and was highly anticipated by fans.

Recent albums

The Present is the eighth studio album by American rock band Breaking Benjamin. It was released on January 17, 2020. The album’s first single, “Torn in Two”, was released on August 9, 2018. The second single, “Blood”, was released on November 7, 2018. The third single, “Save Yourself”, was released on April 26, 2019. On December 6, 2019, the band released a fourth single, “Far Away”.

The Present is the first album to be released by the band since their 2015 album Dark Before Dawn. It is also the first album to feature drummer Shaun Foist as an official member of the band and the only album to feature bassist Aaron Bruch.

Touring

The present finds Benjamin Burnley and company continuing to tour in support of their most recent effort Dark Before Dawn. The 2016 year brought them to various music festivals as well as a headline spot on the popular Rock on the Range. In August they were personally invited by Metallica to perform at their music festival in New York, which featured many iconic hard rock and metal bands.

The group spent a good portion of the fall co-headlining with fellow rockers Shinedown and opening for Korn on select dates of their The Serenity of Summer tour. It was during Korn’s set at the final date in North Carolina when Jonathan Davis joined Breaking Benjamin onstage to perform “Blind”.

The future

Although most of their songs are hard and fast, they occasionally take a break from the conventional sound to create something new. In recent years, the band has shifted from the heavier sound that initially made them famous to a more alternative rock sound.

New music

The band has written and recorded a new album, Dear Agony, which was released on September 29, 2009. The first single, “I Will Not Bow”, was released to rock radio on August 18, 2009 and the second single, “Give Me a Sign”, was released to radio on November 17, 2009. A third single from the album, “Lights Out”, has been released to radio on March 2, 2010. The album debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 chart and No. 1 on the Hard Rock Albums chart.[7] In an interview with Alter Bridge frontman Myles Kennedy, Benjamin revealed that a new Breaking Benjamin album would be recorded in late 2017 or early 2018 for a possible release in mid 2018. On June 13, 2017 Shaun Foist stated that “the guys are excited about heading into the studio here pretty soon” to make a new record

More touring

The band spent the next few years touring heavily, playing over three hundred shows in support of the album. In 2005, they released their second album, We Are Not Alone, which was another commercial success. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and was eventually certified platinum by the RIAA. The first single from the album, “So Cold”, peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. The band toured extensively in support of the album, playing over one hundred shows.

In 2007, they released their third album, Phobia. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and was eventually certified platinum by the RIAA. The first single from the album, “Breath”, peaked at number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100. The band toured extensively in support of the album, playing over one hundred shows.

In 2009, they released their fourth album,Dear Agony. The album debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 and was eventually certified gold by the RIAA. The first single from the album,”I Will Not Bow”, peaked at number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100. The band toured extensively in support of the album, playing over one hundred shows.

In 2011, they released their fifth studio album,Dark Before Dawn. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and was eventually certified platinum by the RIAA. It also marked a return to form forBreaking Benjamin, as all three singles from the albums (“Failure”,”Angels Fall”, and “Ashes of Eden”) peaked withinthe top five of both Mainstream Rock Songs and Active Rock Songs charts.”