A to Z 2017: BREAKING BENJAMIN

In the Battle of the Bands taking place in my mind, Blink 182 and Breaking Benjamin were duking it out quite ferociously. The Blink 182 trio were a mainstay of my childhood and still remain there today (as well as their multiple side projects), but for some reason Breaking Benjamin won out. Maybe they were just more aggressive than their poppy competition...

"Polyamorous" was the first single I heard from Breaking Benjamin, and though they were relatively unknown, I was hooked:

The song was included in their debut album Saturate. I liked it so much that it goes without saying that I was hyped for their second album We Are Not Alone, which featured hits "So Cold" and "Sooner or Later", among others.

But maybe not as excited as finding out that they were contributing a song to one of my favorite video game franchises — Halo.

The above was actually a reworked version of "Blow Me Away" featuring female vocalist Sydnee Duran. The lead singer, Benjamin Burnley, claims it was made without permission, which ultimately lead to the band's original member composition dissolving after a lawsuit between him and fellow bandmates.

Burnley eventually reformed the band with new members and released their latest album, Dark Before Dawn, in 2015. The album's first single was "Failure":

One thing that can't be denied is Breaking Benjamin remaining consistant with their sound. This can sometimes be as much a hindrance to a band in terms of critique as those that constantly adapt and evolve their style. Personally, I like it (obviously) and am curious if they are due for a new album soon. And if so, I wonder if they will stick with what has worked for them or try something new.

I've become somewhat obsessed with this song as of late so I'll share Breaking Benjamin's cover:

Are you familiar with Breaking Benjamin? If so, are you a fan? Do you have a favorite song and/or album? Do you think it's a good or bad thing that the band has had a consistent sound/style? Have you ever seen them live? If so, how was the performance?