Back in 2005 these guys were my favorite artists, I was obsessed over them. Now I still listen to them but only casually as I have "grown" out of Rock & Roll to appreciate many different styles of music. Anyways, this is my tribute to who I think is the most unique commercial yet underground band in Rock music today. This blog is going to be longer than my previous one because the nature of the songs wont allow me to simply summarize all the songs and styles together. Also just as a warning, the lyrics tend to get dark and somewhat explicit.
Title: Saturate
Year: 2002
Genre: Alternative Rock, Post Grunge
Artist(s): Breaking Benjamin
Copyright: © Hollywood Records 2002
Songs:
1. Wish I May-
The first thing I would like to point out is that Ben Burnley's lyrics are very vague, and exist more to make you feel like you are in a new world where he is telling you life stories, rather than to create an easy to understand song. My interpretation of the lyrics is that Lead singer Ben Burnley is having a feud with someone who has alcohol abuse issues and wants to be friends with Ben. Ben tells the person they will be enemies if he continues to bother and fight him, and in the end with the lyrics "BLIND EYES SHINE THROUGH" the person finally understands and stops bothering Ben. The first thing you hear is the song growing in with the guitars playing and Ben using his screaming vocals (which I might say he has the cleanest sounding scream vocals I've heard so far of any band) right into a short interlude before the vocals come in. When the vocals enter you can hear Ben's unique tenor voice with his distinct Pennsylvanian accent. When the Chorus comes in the beat slows down and the guitars and bass provide beautiful and solid accompaniment. Verse 2 is the same as Verse 1. After the second Chorus we get a Bridge where the drums remain constant, and the guitars and bass keep playing the same lines over and over while Ben says "Oh no" and the lines continue until screams and they break into a guitar solo that has a single guitar, and then the rhythm guitarist Aaron fink joins in on the solo with Ben. Towards the end of the song the last interlude has the same accompaniment that the Chorus but has completely new singing, followed by the Intro guitar parts and then the guitars play repeat the same part when the "Blind eyes" lyrics on screaming vocals come in, where they finally resolve to the end and even at the end a single guitar can be heard playing slowly until it stops and the song stops after a few seconds of sustained notes. This song is heavy and serious, yet fun at the same time. A great song and a great way to start their first album. 5 out of 5 stars.
2. Medicate-
Yet again the lyrics here are hard to get. My interpretation is that the lead singer is caught in a physical relationship with someone, and they have intercourse so much he needs Viagra (hence the song title Medicate) to keep up to pace with her. Also, because she is good at understanding him she has broken his emotions and now all the singer has is empty physical love. Those lyrics are very sad, but the nature of the song points out how serious the issue is with a kind of urgent emotion in the Verse, and being somewhat angry during the Chorus. The song opens with all instruments jamming out together, then slows down to the Verse. During the Verse it is pretty low key with the lead singer harmonizing with him self in echoes building up to the Chorus. The Chorus is faster in pace has the guitars doing more work until until the break down and goes back to the Verse section. It continues in this pattern until Ben sings the Chorus three times, and after the second time we are lead to a kind of climatic scream with Ben and the other band members yelling "Yeah!" He then sings the Chorus again until it leads into the Outro where Ben is singing "doo woo doo" and it does this pattern until the chords stop being played and the song ends with the sound of a guitar being unplugged. While not the happiest song, it's a fun song to sing along with or just enjoy as a likable solid Rock tune. It also serves as a true reminder of what eventually happens to people in sex only relationships. 5 out of 5 stars.
3. Polyamorous-
Many of you would know this as the top single form the album. The song is about the lead singer having a friend who is basically a sex addict. The meaning of the song is unclear to me whether the lead singer intends to have a fight or sleep with the sex addict, but which ever option it is he intends to go through with it no matter what anyone tells him. This songs opens with a techno themed opening with music notes being echoed, then goes straight into rock playing. When the first Verse comes in the instruments sound very clear, and the first time in the album Mark James Keplaski's bass can really be heard well. The Verse switches between low key and fast playing until it enters the Chorus when Ben says "So!". When the Chorus comes in the guitars and Ben's singing speeds up and sounds fairly catchy. When the Chorus ends it goes into the second Verse, followed by the second Chorus. As the second Chorus ends it breaks into an interlude where Ben holds a high note and keeps singing "How do you know?" in long and short notes on the word "know", there is even a small guitar solo until Ben asks "Well how do you know?" when the music stops and then suddenly breaks into the Chorus. After the Chorus we get another guitar interlude that until the song ends with Ben screaming "Lets go!" over the guitars and the instruments end the song on a strong beat. Considering this is their first single and it never really sounded like anything else from that time period (to my knowledge at least) I would say that is leaving a very strong first impression with their future fans. Another solid rock piece. 5 out of 5 stars.
4. Skin-
This song is pretty simple lyrically, but still hard to make out. Either the song is about an aging serial killer, or the person is trying to act like the singer but is too old to do so and the singer is burning all of the impostor's things to teach him a lesson. On a side note, I am starting to think that either Ben hadn't really grasped how to write lyrics yet, or they cared more about the music on the album rather than the lyrical content. The song opens with the drums of former drummer Jeremy Hummel followed by the guitars playing the same riff, and the lead guitar does a small Intro solo and the voice comes in shortly after the solo. The Verse is very happy sounding and set at a steady pace. The Pre-Chorus has very loud bass, and The Chorus is where the guitar work really becomes noticeable, and where Ben's voice and the instruments gets louder. The Chorus ends with a single guitar playing a riff, and then the instruments play a small Bridge leading into the Verse, followed by another Chorus, and at the end of the Chorus Ben screams "Yeah!" and we get to hear a very organized sounding guitar solo, followed by another Pre-Chorus where the bass is the loudest instrument for the first part of the Chorus, and then they end the song singing the Chorus except with a very soft sounding ending, and the song fades perfectly into the next song. A fun and well written song, I am definitely starting to see they cared more about the instrumentation than the lyrics in this song. 5 out of 5 stars.
5. Natural Life-
The point of this song is clearer to me because I know the lead singer is afraid of death and wishes he could live forever. The "disease" the lyrics refer to is death, and he gains peace from fantasizing about immortality "and coming back around" means to stop fantasizing about immortality and to accept death, to which he concedes to when he says "I can't lie." This also explains the angry nature of the song too. The song opens on guitar feedback and then a quick bass Intro followed by the drums and then the guitars start to play and the voice finally comes in saying "Hold still" and then guitars lead into the Verse. The Verse is very slow and has Ben harmonizing with him self and then other band members until it smoothly transitions to the Chorus. In the Chorus Ben sings higher than before and harmonizes in similar fashion to the Verse, then we get an instrumental interlude, then another Verse and Chorus, followed by a Bridge where the guitars build up to a solo with riffs reminiscent of Tool where Ben screams "Your right!" and the guitars continue playing, until the Ben starts singing the Outro Saying "Your right, I can never lie" and the song finishes with the Chorus followed by one of the riffs in the Intro riff and the song with Ben breathing deep through his teeth then screaming, followed by the sound of a drum cymbal. Though it shows Ben wants to live in a fantasy world, it is a really well written piece that shows how versatile his band is, and also manages to pay homage to the band Tool (one of their biggest influences). 5 out of 5 stars.
6. Next to Nothing-
The lyrics in this song are about a couple who broke up. The first Verse is told by the victim who apparently never impressed his/or her ex enough to keep the ex interested. The Chorus is told from the perspective of the victim, while the second Verse is told from the heart breaker's perspective telling the victim "I know you will keep waiting, but you need to live your life and find someone new" while the Chorus uses the same lyrics but in the perspective of the heart breaker enforcing the point of the second Verse. The song opens on very low key kind of guitar followed by the vocals, and then the bass making the song very smooth sounding. The Verse continues to sound smooth, and the Pre-Chorus builds up the song and speed of the instruments with Ben's voice setting the mood. The Chorus is very fast paced and exciting, the Chorus then slows down and goes back to the smooth Verse, and again to the Chorus. After the Chorus there is a build up where Ben says "Next to nothing!" repeatedly even over a short but fitting guitar solo, until Ben stops after singing "Wooooh" and Both guitars begin to play a harmonized duet together, and then they go back to the Chorus but with more exciting sounding guitars. After the last Chorus there is an Outro guitar solo that ends on a beautiful guitar chord. I think this song began Breaking Benjamin's style of starting up slowly and then building to a powerful climax. Probably my favorite I've heard of the songs so far. The only confusing thing is that mood of the song runs contrary to the content of the lyrics, even though it could signify the happiness at finding freedom and a new lease on the person's personal life. 5 out of 5 stars.
7. Water-
This song is about a man who has a kind of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde state of mind and as proof he says "my heads so f****d up inside" in the Chorus. The character had a girlfriend who cheated on him and he is punishing her by drowning her but states "I won't ever let you drown" while doing it. This song opens on sound effects reminiscent of the first War of the Worlds movie (the spaceships) then into some very creepy yet awesome sounding guitar riffs, which then pick up speed until the vocals enter in the Verse. In the Verse the mood is more low key, but there is a steady build with the guitars playing higher and Ben's voice going higher and lower by each phrase, until the Chorus comes. The Chorus is faster and happy sounding. They even manage to throw in the F word, but not obnoxiously. The second Verse plays like the first one, and then we get a little guitar breakdown with Ben screaming "Yeah!" over the instruments repeating the same riffs, followed by the final Chorus. The song ends on Ben repeating the same lines three times until on the last time he harmonizes with him self until the song ends on the word "so" with the drums stopping and the guitars sustaining until they fade and the song ends.
8. Home-
This song is a giant reference to the the Wizard of Oz movie in different perspectives of the characters (it's the movie because the song uses the word "technicolor.") The song opens up with a single guitar playing then immediately breaks into the band jamming along with the lead guitar until the Verse comes in, in the Verse it starts off low key with Ben singing from the perspective of the Wicked Witch, with a slight build up to the Chorus. In the Chorus Ben half sings and half screams while the guitars pick up speed while playing, and then it repeats the pattern of Verse and Chorus but this time in the perspective of Dorothy and her friends. After the second Chorus there is a very pleasant Bridge with nice guitar work and Ben singing about Dorothy's perspective of Oz. There is then a guitar interlude followed by Ben screaming "Like Home!" loudly and in a high voice. After that comes a small guitar section, followed by the Outro which sounds similar to the first interlude, which then leads to the song ending with Ben singing "I wanna go home!" with a nice echo effect, and the song ends with the band playing the same line six times before closing. This is just a nice sounding rock song referencing a great movie. 5 out of 5 stars.
9. Phase-
I believe this song is about a man trying to convince his girlfriend to have sex no matter how much she says no. On a side note, I don't approve of that kind of thing. I enjoy this song for the music. The song opens on some very awesome sounding bongo drums and other Spanish and Arabic percussion instruments, followed by a very heavy and deep sounding bass guitar along with the guitars sliding and playing into the song. The lead guitar begins to solo over the other instruments, and the drums help build up to the songs main riff. After the riff is over the vocals enter in the first Verse. In the first Verse Ben is singing with him self taking turns on the vocals until the Chorus builds up. In the Chorus the instruments do what they did on the other songs and has exciting guitars with louder vocals. The main riff returns but Ben sings "Phase" over it a few times, then the second Verse starts up, followed by the second Chorus. After the second Chorus there is a build up to a guitar solo, and the solo is probably the heaviest they've had in the album so far, after the solo we have Ben screaming "I can't wait" and he screams "Phase!" again. We get the Outro with Ben singing and then screaming (unintelligibly) with the song ending with his voice. This song is paced differently from the other songs on the album and is enjoyable to listen to aside from the lyrics. 5 out of 5 stars.
10. No Games-
This song is about the singer being the lesser partner of a bossy girlfriend, and he is saying that though he struggles heavily, he will win in the end (with some disturbing images along the way a.k.a. "I've fellated my self.") The song is the most low key song in the album so far with a very soft and relaxing Verse that transforms into a more dramatic and heavy Pre-Chorus. The Chorus is somewhat like more popular rock, and it backs off to the low key Verse. It repeats the Verse Chorus pattern another time and then instead of a guitar solo we refreshingly get the band playing with a string quartet and then switching between the clean guitars and the the distortion where the orchestra takes back seat. Ben screams "Woah yeah!" and we get a guitar interlude followed by the Chorus. The Outro has Ben singing "I win" over an over again with the band and the string section until the song ends on a chord that fades away. Definitely another solid song with excellent use of the string section. 5 out of 5 stars.
11. Sugar Coat-
This song is about the singer being deceived heavily by someone who appears sweet on the outside, but is rotten on the inside, and is an obsessive liar. This song has a very abrupt start and is probably the angriest song on the album. The change is abrupt but they still manage to pull it off cleanly which is rare in rock music. The song opening is is at a slow but aggressive pace, and then transfers into a low key Verse that builds up to a more angry Chorus. The Chorus is very aggressive with screaming vocals and loud drums, then transfers to a Verse and Chorus again. Followed immediately by a guitar solo that goes up, then down, then up and builds to the Chorus again. During the final Chorus he harmonizes with him self in his screaming vocals and his clean vocals, and the song ends with the Ben singing "Your eyes are red!" with the guitars playing then having feedback. A very solid rock tune, even if it isn't my favorite on the album. 5 out of 5 stars.
12. Shallow Bay-
I think this song is about drug use as the person has a strong desire to acquire at first what sounds like a woman, but is later referred to as "my pretty pill." I also recognize "Float away on a shallow bay" as an experience of being high, though I am not sure what drug exactly they referencing (LSD or Marijuana?) The song opens up on guitars and Ben screaming "come on!" on an Atreyu style guitar riffs until the Verse comes in. The Verse is heavy but the singing is low key, until Ben raises his voice to transfer the Chorus. The Chorus is very happy sounding with faster guitars and harmonizing form the whole band with riffs at the end and transfers back to the Verse. It continues in the Verse Chorus pattern until after the Chorus Ben continues singing "I don't think you wanna f**k with me" and it transfers to this very soft low key Bridge with Ben singing "A shallow bay" that builds up to another Chorus after an echo effect on the guitar. The Chorus is repeated a few times towards the end of the song. After the Chorus stops with Ben's climatic high notes, the guitars begin to play the Outro where Ben sings "You live you learn" and the song ends surprisingly with the string orchestra. This song is very fun to listen to, and sing along with in the Chorus. 5 out of 5 stars.
13. Forever-
Just like Natural life, this song is written entirely for the singers desire to stay alive forever except that desire is much more obvious in the lyrics. In fact it has the simplest lyrics on the entire album. The song opens on very soft guitar playing, followed by the drums and bass sounding very much like a traditional rock ballad. The joins after the guitars play for a little bit. The Verses are very low key, while the the Choruses shows just how Ben's voice can be, after the first Chorus Ben says "Forever" where you can really hear his desire to stay alive forever. After the second Verse and Choruses we get a build up to the climax Where Ben says "Forever" over and over again and it finally builds to the climax by getting heavier and louder with everything becoming more exciting, with a very fitting guitar solo. The solo is followed by a soft ending. This is my favorite song off the album because it is very beautiful and shows how versatile the band is. 5 out of 5 stars.
What I didn't like:
The only thing I pretty much didn't like were the lyrics got a tad explicit, and they are hard to understand at first. This can also be said for the very dark way Ben sings where he doesn't enunciate clearly.
What I did like:
Everything else.
Who would enjoy this album:
Fans of good new-fashioned Rock music.
Overall:
I like pretty much everything in this album except for the poor pronunciation and the lyrics are hard to get. The instrumentation is where this albums truly shines through though, especially with how the band plays with the string orchestra in the later songs. The transitions are also perfect in how the songs match up in sound. For a first album it is one of their best for sure and a great way to kick off their chart climbing career.
Rating: *****
Polyamarous Official Music Video:
Skin Unofficial Video:
Medicate Unofificial Video:
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