Breaking Benjamin
American rock band known for consistent hard rock sound.
Breaking Benjamin is an American rock band formed in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in 1999 by Benjamin Burnley and Jeremy Hummel. The band has sold more than 19 million units in the United States and produced multiple RIAA-certified platinum and gold records. Despite numerous lineup changes, Burnley has remained the sole consistent member and primary composer.
Quick Facts
- Alias
- Plan 9
- Origin
- Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, U.S.
- Genre
- Hard rock
- post-grunge
- alternative metal
- alternative rock
- Years active
- 1999–2010; 2014–present
- Label
- Hollywood; BMG
- Current members
- Benjamin Burnley
- Aaron Bruch
- Jasen Rauch
- Keith Wallen
- Past members
- Jason Davoli
- Jonathan "Bug" Price
- Jeremy Hummel
- Aaron Fink
- Mark James Klepaski
- Chad Szeliga
- Shaun Foist
Facts from the source article.
History
Benjamin Burnley first used the name Breaking Benjamin in 1998 for a band that played softer music, including covers of Weezer and the Beatles, and was unlike later lineups. The name came from an incident where Burnley broke a borrowed microphone, prompting the owner to say, "Thanks to Benjamin for breaking my fucking mic. That early band included guitarist Aaron Fink, bassist Nick Hoover, and drummer Chris Lightcap, but disbanded when Burnley moved to California. After returning to Pennsylvania with drummer Jeremy Hummel, Burnley formed Plan 9, also including bassist Jason Davoli. The name Plan 9, a reference to Plan 9 from Outer Space, was often misnamed as "Planet 9," so the group reclaimed the name Breaking Benjamin because Burnley still had promotional stickers with that name. The three-piece gained attention when DJ Freddie Fabbri of active rock station WBSX put the track "Polyamorous" in rotation. After it became the station's number-one requested track, Fabbri financed recording of the group's eponymous EP, which sold all 2,000 copies printed in 2001. Jonathan "Bug" Price was credited on bass, replacing Davoli. In early 2002, over a dozen record companies attended a two-night showcase, and the group signed with Hollywood Records. Their first major-label album, Saturate, was released on August 27, 2002, produced by Ulrich Wild, peaking at No. 136 on the Billboard 200 and later certified gold. In early 2003, Breaking Benjamin participated in the Jägermeister Music Tour and toured as a supporting act for Godsmack. Saturate received positive reception; Jason Taylor of AllMusic scored it 2.5 out of 5, calling it "repetitive and generic" yet "undeniably addictive. Vin Cherubino of Schwegweb noted influences from bands such as Tool.
Artistry
Breaking Benjamin's musical style has been classified as hard rock, alternative rock, post-grunge, and alternative metal. The band is commonly noted for consistency; Corey Apar remarked that "Breaking Benjamin are nothing if not consistent," and Alex Young observed that the band is one of the few modern rock bands on radio that could be immediately recognized from any prior song. Despite a complete lineup change before Dark Before Dawn, Dan Marsicano noted that the band hardly deviated from the hooky jams of Dear Agony, maintaining an established sound since We Are Not Alone of hard-edged riffs with emotional upheaval. Apar described the style as mixing heavy hard rock dynamics with a moody demeanor that never slips into full-on dejection. Spence D. characterized the band as persisting in delivering crunching guitars topped with generic, angst-ridden lyrics that waffle between plaintive and aggressive, with vocals fluctuating between contemplative subjectivity and growling anger. Young felt the band is indicative of early 2000s modern rock, sometimes more Filter-esque or technically proficient on guitar during Saturate, and later with bass and drums. In a 2020 Wall Street Journal piece, Chris Kornelis described the style as a subgenre called "active rock," including bands like Disturbed, Five Finger Death Punch, and Three Days Grace, who growl and yell but can be as tender as Coldplay. Burnley is the primary songwriter; music industry attorney Martin Frascogna wrote that Burnley started the group, is its creative force, and essentially dictates its decisions. Influences cited include Nirvana, Live, Bush, Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, and the Beatles. Burnley remarked in 2009 that while other members contributed, it was always left to him to put the pieces together. He considered Jasen Rauch his "writing partner" during Dear Agony and looked forward to writing with him again.
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