The fifth studio long-player and first outing from
Breaking Benjamin to rely on the talents of a more or less completely new lineup (founder, frontman, and namesake
Benjamin Burnley remains at the wheel),
Dark Before Dawn, which also features the talents of
Shaun Foist (
Picture Me Broken), bassist
Aaron Bruch, former
Red guitarist
Jasen Rauch, and ex-
Adelitas Way guitarist
Keith Wallen, stays true to the band's unwavering allegiance to all things late-'90s/early-2000s post-grunge/hard rock. In the six years since 2009's
Dear Agony,
Burnley has endured issues of both the legal and health varieties, and much of the 12-track set is spent attempting to process that period of personal upheaval, with standout cuts like the slow-burn single "Failure," the anthemic "Defeated," and the soaring "Close to Heaven" and "Angels Fall" leading the charge. ~ James Christopher Monger