Breaking Benjamin gets vocal in its latest incarnation

By MIKE CHAIKEN
EDITIONS EDITOR
Talk to Breaking Benjamin’s main man, Benjamin Burnley, about the latest incarnation of his band, it’s clear that he’s excited about what the new members bring to the table in terms of musicianship.
And topping the list of things he is most stoked about with his newest members— guitarists Jasen Rauch and Keith Wallen, bassist Aaron Bruch, and drummer Shaun Foist – is the way they can sing.
Breaking Benjamin comes to the Mohegan Sun Arena on Nov. 19 in a tour with Shinedown.
Now, for a hard rocking band, you would think the sting of the guitar and the punch of the drums would bring the most amount of satisfaction.
However, in a phone interview from somewhere on the road between Iowa and Illinois, Burnley again and again spoke about the way the new boys can sing.
“The band has never had anyone else sing (other than himself),” said Burnley. But the new members are adept in replicating the kinds of background vocals that Breaking Benjamin has used on record. “Background vocals are 100 percent as important as the main vocals,” said Burnley.
Breaking Benjamin’s front man said the current band’s skills with vocals will be especially noticeable in an upcoming acoustic tour Breaking Benjamin has  planned after its current jaunt that comes to Connecticut.
“We have a lot of things going on now (musically) that we didn’t have before,” said Burnley. “The background vocals are supremely tight.”
Why are the vocals such an improvement from the band’s previous incarnation? Burnley explained that the new members had all been frontmen for their previous bands. So, he said, the musicians aren’t just instrumentalists trying to sing. They are instrumentalists who had all been lead vocalists prior to Breaking Benjamin.
“We love playing acoustic, it showcase the songs and it showcases what the band really is,” said Burnley. “It’s extremely fun to do.”
“It’s really, definitely an improvement of what the band was before,” said Burnley of Breaking Benjamin 2.0, noting that not only does the group have more singers, it has added a guitarist. In addition, “We’re using technology in the right way,” said Burnley who had been friends with the new members before they agreed to team up as Breaking Benjamin. Rather than using recordings to sweeten the sound, said Burnley, everything is performed live by the band. If there are strings on a song, he said, a guitarist has plugged into a synth to recreate that sound by playing the notes rather than hitting a switch.
The band is currently touring behind its new album, “Dark Before Dawn.” The album hit the number 1 Billboard slot as soon as it was released. The singles “Angels Fall” and “Failure” both shot up the Active Rock charts as soon as they were released.
Burnley said 95 percent of the album was all ready for release as soon as the new members arrived. But the band is looking to take a couple of weeks off after this current tour is done and Burnley said he’s excited about seeing how the new members impact the songwriting process.
Burnley said he’s not really sure where his own inspiration for songs come from
“My life is kind of the canvas that Breaking Benjamin sort of exists on,” said Burnley. “I don’t know where the influences come from. It just comes out. I wish I could pinpoint where the inspiration comes from. It just flows out.”
Mostly, he said, he finds himself writing down how he feels at a particular moment. The emotions in the songs have been growing more complex through the years as he has become more complex as a person, he said.
Since the band’s last effort, 2009’s “Dear Agony,” Burnley put Breaking Benjamin on the shelf, partially to address some health issues.
Burnley said his health issues probably did seep into the songwriting, but again, he said he can’t pinpoint where. “It’s not conscious but subconscious.”
Currently, Breaking Benjamin is on the road with Shine down. “Shinedown and Breaking Benjamin are very similar as to how we interact with fans,” said Burnley of the touring combo. “We acknowledge their presence (the fans)… They’re the ones, the whole reason, we’re in existence.”
When the group steps up on stage, although there is some production, Burnley said that’s just “icing on the cake.” Instead, he said, “We just go up there and like to have a good time… It’s about the music.”
Breaking Benjamin and Shinedown arrive at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Thursday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $39.50.
For more information, go to MoheganSun.com or BreakingBenjamin.com