Album Review: Breaking Benjamin - Dark Before Dawn

Breaking Benjamin’s first studio album in almost six years sees the group compensating for a new line-up by holding firm on their sound.

Four new band members would typically mean a shake-up in sound, but Dark Before Dawn is hardly unexpected. Benjamin Burnley’s endless clean vocal layers swamp the chugging riffs, redemption lyrics dominating every track. With the exception of a few moments such as Angels Fall, the album feels incredibly recycled. While it’s hard to fault a band sticking to a formula that obviously works, it’s also hard to appreciate musical laziness.