Breaking Benjamin: Ember Review
By: Tara Niknam
Breaking Benjamin broke expectations with their new album, Ember. Their sixth studio album released on April 13th, 2018 has quickly risen to the top of the charts, and to the top of my favorite rock albums.
Right from the beginning, they capture your attention with a slow piano introduction that effortlessly transitions into a high-intensity guitar solo. This instrumental section paves the way for the vocals to be a stand-up part of the first singing track.
Continuing into the album, they keep the energy up in their songs until the middle song, The Dark of You. On this track, they switch directions and slow down the pace to capture the listener’s attention. This quick change of tempo is embraced with lyrics describing a “selfish world” that we live in.
The rest of the album continues in their typical rock fashion. Using the last singing track, Close Your Eyes, as a picture of what I love most about Breaking Benjamin; that they so easily use serene vocals mixed with high-intensity instrumentals and screaming to create a unique sound in rock albums. They end their album with another instrumental section that slowly fades away making their album come full circle.
Compared to their old stuff, this album shows that Breaking Benjamin has not lost their touch of blending the heavier music with the soft side of their vocals. Every album intensifies their heavier side but never fully walks away from the melancholy sound. Their growth is easily demonstrated in each album, making this one, the best yet so far.
As someone who does not listen to heavy metal music, I love Breaking Benjamin. They are a great band to show someone who wants to slowly edge their way into metal music. The band uses the high-energy most metal bands have and incorporate it with singing vocals to not easily overwhelm a new listener.
All in all, whether you are a die-hard heavy metal fan, or someone just trying to open up to the metal world, this is a great place to start. I would easily recommend this band as the rock concert to start your journey into metal concerts.
The band is hitting the road with Five Finger Death Punch, starting their tour in Richmond, Virginia, April 25th, 2018.
Breaking Benjamin Tour Dates
April 25 – Richmond, Va. @ The National *
April 26 – North Myrtle Beach, S.C. @ House of Blues *
April 28 – Jacksonville, Fla. @ Welcome to Rockville
April 29 – Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. @ Fort Rock
May 3 – Chattanooga, Tenn. @ The Signal *
May 5 – Concord, N.C. @ Carolina Rebellion
May 7 – Nashville, Tenn. @ Marathon Music Works *
May 9 – Springfield, Mo. @ Shrine Mosque *
May 11 – Sioux Falls, S.D. @ The District *
May 12 – Somerset, Wis. @ Northern Invasion
May 15 – Kansas City, Mo. @ Uptown Theatre *
May 16 – Clive, Iowa @ 7 Flags Event Center *
May 18-20 – Columbus, Ohio @ Rock on the Range
* with 10 Years
