Website: Breaking Benjamin
The Inside Pulse:
One of a slew of radio-ready rock bands, Breaking Benjamin has managed to hold its own distinct fanbase despite overwhelming competition. Melodic with a heaping dose of attitude, the band did well its first two releases and returns with Phobia. The question is whether Breaking Benjamin can hold its own in a sea of soundalikes or if the market is too oversaturated to support a mediocre effort.
Positives: Phobia fills itself from top to bottom with hooks, hooks, hooks. Their first single (also the first track), “The Diary of Jane,” is a distinct precursor for what is to follow: songs that are actually much more depressing than the music lets on without becoming whiny. Still, the band sounds its best when they veer away from the power ballads, as “Topless” gives them a much-needed dose of ballsiness.
Negatives: Nothing new? Absolutely. But there’s nothing really horrible about the album, either (aside from “Until The End,” which is saccharine and trite with some really absurd song structure choices). The worst anyone can truly say is that Phobia doesn’t have anything that sets it apart from 800 other bands with similar levels of success. Oh, and the power ballads. Enough with the power ballads already — even hair bands never had more than two on an album.
Cross-breed: Shinedown, Nickelback, 3 Doors Down, Saliva… insert any other miscellaneous rock-radio standard band here, but give it a sprinkle of Smashing Pumpkins-esque sullen lament.
Reason To Buy: If you dependably love rock radio, you’ll get precisely what you need with Phobia. There’s nothing earth-shatteringly new to cause others to come running, but it’s a solid effort for what it is.
