Breaking Benjamin will meet hometown fans at Gallery of Sound in Wilkes-Barre on April 14
One day after their anticipated new album hits record stores everywhere, multi-platinum rock band Breaking Benjamin will visit their hometown record store, the Gallery of Sound in Wilkes-Barre, to meet fans and sign autographs on Saturday, April 14 at 4 p.m.
As with previous Gallery of Sound meet and greet events, it is free, but space is limited. To receive a wristband to guarantee priority entry, fans must purchase a copy of the band’s new album, “Ember,” on CD ($11.99) or vinyl ($22.99) from this store (186 Mundy St., Wilkes-Barre) or the Dickson City location. A small pre-order deposit holds the CD or LP and a spot in line; the album and entry ticket can be picked up on release day (Friday, April 13) or Saturday before the event. For more details, visit the Facebook event page.
Over the past few months, Breaking Benjamin has given fans an early listen to four tracks from the album – “Red Cold River,” “Feed the Wolf,” “Blood” and, most recently, “Psycho” – that show off their heavier side.
“People have always really liked the heavier side of the band,” vocalist/guitarist Benjamin Burnley said in a press release. “I think that’s what they sort of gravitate towards. But we also make sure to explore our melodic and softer side too. On ‘Ember,’ we just tried to make it more extreme – the softer side on this album is really soft, and the heavy side is really heavy. We decided to give everybody what they want to the furthest degree.”
“Ember” also features their “most advanced and challenging music yet.”
“It’s difficult to play some of the songs,” Burnley noted. “They’re not something somebody could just pick up and play.”
While he has always been the group’s main songwriter through various lineup changes, Burnley said that this album has been his most collaborative effort yet.
“They’ve really contributed a lot more than anybody else has in the past,” he said of his current bandmates. “And they’re more like-minded, musically, than people I’ve ever played with, and so everything that they gave me fit into songs that I already had.
“I wrote the majority of our last five albums, and so I’m good with that – you know, that’s enough for me. Five albums pretty much by myself; I’m ready to pass it along. It’s more fun when you’re not doing everything by yourself.”
This is the first new music that Breaking Benjamin has released since 2015, so anticipation has been high, especially with each new single going over so well with their fans. They’ve been producing nothing but crowd-pleasing hits for years, delivering chart-topping singles and albums in an era where rock music is struggling for sales. Their last album, “Dark Before Dawn,” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 and had three No. 1 rock radio tracks – “Failure” “Angels Fall,” and “Never Again.” It was certified gold last year and may eventually go platinum, as 2009’s “Dear Agony” did as well as 2006’s “Phobia” and 2004’s “We Are Not Alone.” Their 2002 debut, “Saturate,” was also certified gold by the RIAA.
Breaking Benjamin aren’t performing at the Gallery of Sound, but they recently announced a co-headlining summer tour with Las Vegas metal band Five Finger Death Punch, which stops at The Pavilion at Montage Mountain in Scranton on Friday, Aug. 17 at 7 p.m., featuring special guests Nothing More and Bad Wolves.
Tickets, which range from $34-$119, are on sale now through livenation.com and the Live Nation app. For the first time ever, The Pavilion at Montage Mountain will offer Ticket to Rock bundles to see three concerts this summer, including this show, Slayer with Lamb of God and Anthrax on Tuesday, July 31, and Godsmack and Shinedown on Friday, Aug. 31.
Lawn ticket bundles for all three shows are $59, while reserved seating bundles for the three shows will cost $79. These bundles are on sale now at livenation.com and will be available to purchase in limited quantities while supplies last.
Read NEPA Scene’s exclusive review of Breaking Benjamin’s surprise November show in Luzerne with photos and video here and another review of their last concert at Montage Mountain with Disturbed here.
Breaking Benjamin – “Ember” tracklist:
1. “Lyra”
2. “Feed the Wolf”
3. “Red Cold River”
4. “Tourniquet”
5. “Psycho”
6. “The Dark of You”
7. “Down”
8. “Torn in Two”
9. “Blood”
10. “Save Yourself”
11. “Close Your Eyes”
12. “Vega”
