Review Summary: Dear Agony is the result of an album designed to do exactly what its predecessor did. You have to be skilled to copy and repackage your own music without anyone realizing, and while it will please die hard fans, it will likely turn away others.
Before I start digging into this album, I think it should be set clear that I used to be a fan of this band. I enjoyed their sound, and while they did push for a more mainstream sound than I was comfortable with, to me, they did it well. I had been very fond of Phobia - it showed more maturity than their two previous works, which, despite being solid albums, did not show much originality or variety. Phobia was no classic, but I did enjoy it. I remember songs such as You, Topless, and Unknown Soldier stood out, and were extremely catchy. Hoping to build on what they had already accomplished, Breaking Benjamin set out to make their next album. I waited patiently, hoping their next release would be the one to win me over completely.
Enter Dear Agony, the album which will divide the audience. By no means is it a bad album, and had it have been one of their first releases, I would cut them some slack. But this being their fourth full length record, I think it is about time that Breaking Benjamin tried something different. The formula they have used in the past has worked well, helping them achieve large mainstream success. it is obvious they have their comfort zone. However, I feel it is necessary for an artist to go beyond this comfort zone rather than play it safe. A little experimentation here and there shows maturity, but instead, all I have seen is a sub-par attempt to copy their last album.
Virtually every song on Dear Agony steals something from a past song. Not to mention that a few sound like blatant rip-offs of them. You have to be good to steal your own music and repackage it without anyone realizing. This does not mean i am saying Dear Agony is a worthless album. There are some very good songs on here. The few that stand out (emphasis on "the few") to me are Fade Away, Lights Out, and Anthem of the Angels. Lights out uses some good background effects and a clever use of the harmonic minor scale. To me it is the most melodic song on the album. Anthem of the Angels sounds like an alternative radio sell-out, but it is still a very good song. Fade Away is also very catchy; my only gripe is that the intro is way too short. I like long intros to albums, but what you get here is only eleven seconds. It is still a fantastic song though.
The rest of the album follows the exact same formula for every song. The so incredibly over-used intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus, outro form. It is not that anything is bad, it just feels like it has been done. Every song (and I mean EVERY song) could be copied and placed on Phobia, and it would not sound out of place. Another gripe I have is that several songs have almost the same beginning. Lights Out begins just like Had Enough, Into the Nothing begins just like Sugarcoat, you get the idea. It is things like this that make me wish Breaking Benjamin would put some variety in. It's hard to remain a fan of a band which never changes. Imagine if Rush just kept the same sound through 40 years of their career.
I am likely not the only one divided over this album. Before Dear Agony, I was a fan of breaking Benjamin. Now, I have lost my respect for them. I had hoped they would change their sound a bit, show some maturity, maybe experiment a bit. But they decided to play it safe and copy their success from Phobia. While I know no band wants to risk the success they have accumulated, a little experimentation here and there is nice. Dear Agony, while a very solid album on its own, it is nothing unique compared to what they have already done. It does have its moments, but in the end, this album just wonders off Into the Nothing.
