Phobia

Breaking Benjamin have made a career of venting, and they’ve squeezed a ferocious discography out of frontman Benjamin Burnley’s well-documented angst and anxieties. Their third album got a serious boost from hard-hitting new drummer Chad Szeliga, while taking Burnley’s gloomy worldview to intense new extremes. The result is some of the alt-metal battlers’ best songs, whether invigorated by dueling sky-high riffs (“Unknown Soldier”) or quiet-to-loud dramatics (“The Diary of Jane”). “Until the End” exemplifies the band’s radio-friendly onslaught, balancing naked aggression with unabashed melodicism.

Phobia finds them picking up exactly where they left off with 2004's We Are Not Alone, mixing heavy hard rock dynamics with a moody demeanor that never slips into full-on dejection, thanks in part to their proficient grasp of the accessible melody and ever-rousing chorus.

Breaking Benjamin - Phobia review: Phobia falls short in a few areas, but is still a pretty strong album.