Breaking Benjamin We Are Not Alone CD

Breaking Benjamin: Ben Burnley (vocals, guitar); Aaron Fink (guitar); Markus James (bass); Jeremy Hummel (drums, percussion).
This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.
Breaking Benjamin: Ben Burnley (vocals, guitar); Aaron Fink (guitar); Marcus James (bass guitar); Jeremy Hummel (drums, percussion).
Additional personnel: Billy Corgan (guitar); David Bendeth (keyboards).
On We Are Not Alone, Breaking Benjamin's sophomore effort for Hollywood, the Philadelphia quartet still enjoys coursing the downcast dynamics and dour cerebrals of early Tool through post-grunge's more accessible melodics. Vocalist/guitarist Ben Burnley channels Maynard James Keenan throughout "So Cold" and "Simple Design," and fills their shadows with scary roars. But the choruses are as uplifting and hopeful as anything from 3 Doors Down, and the latter even features a quiet acoustic interlude. It's this baiting of the darker mental animal while realizing the power of a cool hard rock riff that drives We Are Not Alone. "Why am I so pathetic?" asks Burnley in "Sooner or Later." "Help me break my conscience in," goes "Break My Fall," "To free us from our innocence." Both cuts stick to the familiar formula of introducing huge chords before dwelling on the personal struggle in the verses, only to surge toward hopeful choruses. In this, Breaking Benjamin is quite capable. They understand that it can't be all gloom and doom all the time -- that the people need some light at the end of the tunnel. Alone's choruses offer that urgency throughout, but "Forget It" takes it to heart. With its whispering synthesizers, layered guitar effects (Billy Corgan guests), and filtered harmonies, the cut is a warm departure from the album's bruised push forward. We Are Not Alone has its moments of genre-aping filler, and Burnley's delivery does at times seem forced -- he just sounds so much like his peers. But We Are Not Alone is still a solid second effort, with plenty of appeal for fans of groups like Crossfade, Default, and Smile Empty Soul. ~ Johnny Loftus
When Aaron Fink and Markus James left Universal Records act Lifer to join the then-unsigned Breaking Benjamin, many hard-rock fans were skeptical. WE ARE NOT ALONE, the latter band's sophomore effort, promises to silence the naysayers for good. Led by powerful vocalist Ben Burnley, Breaking Benjamin delivers a snap-tight, streamlined brand of heavy alternative rock with occasional detours into the rhythmic funk-metal territory inhabited by Limp Bizkit and Korn.
With strong melodies reminiscent of Staind or Incubus at their most accessible, the Pennsylvania combo makes good use of soaring vocal harmonies and unusual production touches (the piano intro on "Breakdown" and the swirling, phase-shifting guitars on "Believe") to separate itself from the heavy-rock pack. On "Forget It" and the closing ballad "Rain," Breaking Benjamin gets downright New Romantic, suggesting a diversity unusual among its contemporaries.