Breaking Benjamin is a rock band from Pennsylvania. The history of the team began in 1998 in the city of Wilkes-Barre. Two friends Benjamin Burnley and Jeremy Hummel were fond of music and began to play together.
Guitarist and vocalist - Ben, behind the percussion instruments was Jeremy. Young friends performed mainly in "diners" and at various parties with friends and acquaintances.
They mainly played the music of Nirvana, as Benjamin was a fan of Kurt Cobain. At their performances, one could hear cover versions of songs by Godsmack, Nine Inch Nails and Depeche Mode.
The beginning of the creative path of the group Breaking Benjamin
Of course, two people were not enough for a full-fledged performance. So they invited someone else to play along with them. Mostly it was someone from school friends.
After Lifer disbanded, in late 2000 Aaron Fink (founding guitarist) and Mark Klepaski (bassist) teamed up with Benjamin Burnley and Jeremy Hummel (drummer) to form Breaking Benjamin.
At the beginning of their career, in order to fit the radio format and get rotations, the musicians played in the post-grunge style. They also focused on the sound of Pearl Jam, Pilots Stone Temple and Nirvana. They later adopted the guitar sound from bands such as Korn and Tool.
At first, the group did not have a name. Everything changed with one performance in one of the next "diners". Then Benjamin dropped the microphone from his hands, thereby breaking it.
Raising the microphone, the owner of the establishment said the following: "Thank Benjamin for breaking my damn microphone." That evening, Benjamin was given the nickname "Breaking Benjamin". The guys decided that this would be the name of the group. But after a while they changed their mind and decided to change it to a little easier.
Then the name Plan 9 was taken. Since out of the 9 proposed options for the new name of the group, none came up. But in the end, it "did not take root" and chose the first option.
The band made their debut in the alternative metal genre. His sound became mainstream rock in the early 2000s.
During its existence, there have been numerous changes in the composition of the group. They influenced her sound, which became lighter in the late 2000s.
Initially, the music was similar to the sound of rockers Alice in Chains and formidable nu-metalists Godsmack and Chevelle.
Recognition and glory of the group Breaking Benjamin
Breaking Benjamin has become one of the most popular rock bands in the United States. She reached number 1 on the charts with the single Breath.
Albums We Are Not Alone (2004), Phobia (2006) and Dear Agony (2009) were recognized as the best-selling in the US.
Saturate (2002)
In 2001, Breaking Benjamin shows in Wilkes-Barre caught the attention of local DJ Freddie Fabbri. He was on the air for alternative rock radio station WBSX-FM. Fabbri included the song of the musicians Polyamorous in the rotation, which greatly influenced the recognition of the group. Also this track became the most popular from the album.
A little later, the group financed the recording of the self-titled debut EP. In the same year, the musicians signed a contract with Hollywood Records, which linked the group with Ulrich Wild. He has produced for such bands as Static-X, Pantera and Slipknot. He was also the designer of the album Saturate (2002).
We Are Not Alone (2004)
The album We Are Not Alone was released in 2004 with Billy Corgan. It was produced by David Bendet.
After the album's two singles "So Cold" and "Sooner or Later" hit the Billboard charts and reached number 2 in the list of popular rock songs, the band went on a joint tour with Evanescence.
The composition So Cold became the most popular track of the full-length album, which led to the release of the So Cold EP.
It included an acoustic version of So Cold, a track from the popular computer game Halo 2. As well as an early unreleased song from the band, Lady Bug.
Video clips were also created for the songs So Cold for the game Half-Life 2 and Follow for the movie Torque. This led to an increase in the group's popularity. Clips were appreciated by Benjamin Burnley. Since he himself is a lover of computer games.
In September 2004, drummer Jeremy Hummel wanted to leave and was replaced by Chad Zeliga. A year later, he filed a lawsuit against Breaking Benjamin. Since he was not paid a fee for composed compositions. As compensation, he wanted to sue $ 8 million. But after a year of litigation, his claim was dismissed.
Phobia
The band released their third album Phobia in August 2006 before embarking on a nationwide headlining tour. The album was introduced with the single The Diary of Jane, which received radio airplay and peaked at number 2 on the Billboard charts. In the history of the group, this album became the most popular and successful. And the song The Diary Of Jane became a cult.
Phobia was re-released in autumn with additional bonus tracks. The band continued to tour with Godsmack.
Dear agony
After the tour ended, the band returned to the studio to begin work on their fourth studio album. The Dear Agony compilation was released with the single I Will Not Bow in the summer of 2009.
More tours followed, including with Three Days Grace and Nickelback.
Breaking Benjamin on hiatus
In 2010, Burnley announced a hiatus due to persistent health problems. And in May 2011, he officially fired two members of the group. While he was in treatment, Fink and Klepaski decided to earn extra money - they recorded a new version of the song Blow Me Away and agreed with the label to re-release it, without agreeing these actions with Ben.
As a result, the bassist and guitarist were to receive $100 of the $150 in revenue from the track.
Burnley sued because the song was written by him. He demanded $250 in compensation. As a result of litigation, the court granted Ben's claim. He received the exclusive right to dispose of the Breaking Benjamin brand. The group was then disbanded.
Left without a team, Burnley began playing acoustic gigs in small venues with Aaron Brook. Some time later, they announced that the Breaking Benjamin group would continue to exist in the updated line-up, with the exception of Burnley.
The new composition of the group
On August 20, 2014, the updated composition of the group was presented:
- Benjamin Burnley took over as the band's main vocalist, guitarist and producer;
- Aaron Brook - bass guitar, backing vocals
- Keith Wallen - guitar
- Jacen Rau - guitar
- Sean Foist - percussion
Sean Foist Ben and Aaron found on YouTube. He posted videos with cover versions of Breaking Benjamin songs there.
The guys liked the performance, and they decided to invite him to the group. Sean was very surprised by such an offer, because he did not expect that such a thing could happen in his life.
After the new line-up was formed, the band announced that they were starting work on a new full-length album.
Dark Before Dawn
On March 23, 2015, the first track Failure was released and the album was pre-ordered on iTunes Dark Before Dawn.
The sound of the album was classic, although it has undergone minor changes. "Fans" warmly accepted the new creation of the group. The single Failure "blew up" the Billboard Hot 100 and took 1st position on the Mainstream Rock Songs chart. And Dark Before Dawn became the best rock album of 2015.
ember
On April 13, 2018, the sixth (and second in the updated line-up) Ember album was released. The musicians described it as a collection of extreme extremes, when some compositions sound very soft and melodic. Others, on the other hand, are very tough. The sound also has the band's signature style, but much less than it was on the previous album.
A trilogy of clips was released for the songs Red Cold River, Torn in Two and Tourniquet, connected by one storyline.
