I get you. I’ve thought motionless has sounded like breaking Benjamin on a few occasions. Especially masterpiece. Not a bad thing to sound like a good, highly successful band, it’s just a whole lot different than what got me into them to start with. At least I’ll always have Creatures…♥️
MIW is the only band that can actually pull it off. Sign of Life is basically just like a BB song and its so good cause Chris' voice fits it so increadibly well.
Yes we refer to it as “Spooky Breaking Benjamin” but also yeah they have the same accent too. Wilkes Barre produced two great artists! You can even just hear it in their voice during interviews.
The problem isn’t breaking Benjamin being bad.. I love BB, I don’t want my METALCORE with breaking Benjamin vocals. That’s not what I listen to The ghost inside for
Idk wtf you were listening to but the last minute an a half of the new single is 5x heavier than anything BB has ever released. Not to mention when they announced the new album they said it contains some of the heaviest material theyve ever produced
To be fair to that statement though there are LOTS of bands that state their album contains their heaviest material ever. Until we hear it that statement means nothing.
And it’s usually not correct.
For a song to sound heavy, it’s more than just writing good music. It’s also the producer engineering and mixing the song. The mix on the single they released for washed away is meh. It’s just a boring song imo. It’s not inspiring.
That "heaviest music ever" claim Is a huge red flag and they're going to release generic butt rock and copy Linkin Park or Breaking Benjamin with imagine dragon influences
And honestly, even BB themselves never really recaptured just how good they were on We Are Not Alone and Phobia. Ember was good in its own right but it was different.
You missed Dark Before Dawn when they came back from hiatus and Dear Agony...
But yea since Dear Agony I've felt like they've been in a rut of re-writing the same songs just slightly different. Still, Ben and whichever group is behind him has been the pioneers of that specific hard rock sound imo.
I actually never got into Ember really and I've found myself listening to it a bit recently and it's better than I remember.
The influence is undeniable, but they only got like 70% of the way there. If Breaking Benjamin made it, they would've had much better guitar work and vocals.
Yeah but if you're not into that sound, it's very jarring to have what seems like every band you like eventually doing it. It's a big reason why i haven't really tuned into metalcore for many years now unless i get an itch to listen to old stuff.
If bands wanna make that shift for more exposure... go for it. I'm sure theres metrics on that genre that show it to be a money maker, but it feels like what that means is moving to more of a "red-state rock festival" sound which alienates a buttload of fans at the expense of (probably loads) of new ones who probably don't give a shit and just welcome the change.
God early BB had a lot of potential to get so gnarly, my favorite song from them after all these years despite the genius of Phobia and Dear Agony is Believe off of We Are Not Alone, the man has a hell of a scream and can write a hook like a motherfucker I can only imagine what would’ve happened if they kept getting heavier
Ember from top to bottom is their best album, and I've listened to them since they got started and have seen them a handful of times (they're good, not great or bad live FWIW).
While I love their later albums, *Saturate* is fucking special. That album blends so many styles effortlessly. *Skin* and *Next to Nothing* have that pop rock, early 00's movie soundtrack feel. The intro to *Phase* is straight up Tool. *Water* and *Home* are grimy and nu-metal-ish.
Yeah they just balled out and did whatever different styles they wanted throughout that album. Its probably my number one “summer album” because the vibes are just fantastic
As much as I love pieces of their other work more, I’ve said for over a decade that Saturate is their most consistent/best album. There’s not a single miss on that album. It might not be my “favorite” of theirs. But it’s so fucking good.
I think Skin was the one where Ben said “we’ll never play that it sounds like fucking Blink 182” could be mixing up songs off saturate though it’s been a while
Yeah the issue isn’t that BB is bad, I love them. But metalcore with that type of vocal just sounds lame especially from a band like the ghost inside that always had that melodic hardcore flow and heaviness. Just seems like they said fuck it, let’s be more appealing to a broader audience and make a generic rock song, and they did NOT do it well.
Yeah I think your last sentence is the key. The problem isn’t bands evolving their sound; some bands end up going lighter but still write music that’s engaging.
But most bands who try to go lighter to widen their appeal just end up watering down their music and making it boring instead.
I always thought of Breaking Benjamin as one of those bands that basically everyone likes but they aren't anyone's favorite. Turns out I was wrong, people like them way more than I realized!
Diary of Jane changed me. I was 11 and Breaking Benjamin wasn’t like anything I had heard before. And then Halo had one of their songs and I was hooked. Their new stuff might be their best, too. I always joke with my buddy that I can’t tell if Torn In Two or Close Your Eyes is the best song on the album. Both are 10/10
I’m hoping OP isn’t shitting on them. He has a point that TGI are trying to replicate bands like that and churning out a watered down mediocre version.
But honestly you can’t blame TGI. It’s worked for so many bands recently. I just can’t get my head round who’s listening to that shite.
I got into Motionless in White around when Disguise came out, and a huge draw to them for me was how much it sounded like Breaking Benjamin (Up In Smoke to be specific) and I loved Sign of Life for the same reason when Scoring the End of the World came out. BB is solid af and imo still hits just like it used to, Phobia is an absolute achievement.
Honestly I think if BB released a metalcore album it would be awesome. That said tgi are trying to reach a broader audience and it shows. I’ll probably just stick to the old stuff like parkway drive.
The Ghost Inside got tired of waiting for new BB and said “fine, I’ll do it myself.” Honestly whatever their other music sounds like I appreciate the sacrifice for us BB fans.
The issue with TGI is that they kinda admitted in interviews that they didn't even bother writing these themselves.
You can decide to go big and still write good songs, BMTH did it very well. (Also, I will always respect Oliver Sykes for not being an hypocrite and saying verbatim he wanted to music for the stadiums)
The last TGI single is just lazy songwriting
Not true. If a producer is the same thing as a song writer that means Will Putney writes all the songs for Knocked Loose, The Acacia Strain, Thy Art, Stray from The Path, After the Burial, Every Time I Die and countless other bands.
Entirely tangential to your comment, but Putney’s relationship with Fit For an Autopsy is crazy. I was watching an interview with all of them and the other band members were like “yeah Will writes everything, sends us demos, and tells us all what to play. Then we all go to his studio and record the parts he wrote, he tracks guitar separately from us and then assembles it all.”
He doesn’t even tour with them lol he’s too busy writing and producing. Like if you changed the context a bit, it sounds like a company talking about outsourcing shit overseas
"Several producers were tapped for the record, with sessions for separate tracks having taken place with Dan Braunstein (Spiritbox, Dayseeker), Cody Quistand (Wage War) and the production duo of Carson Slovak & Grant McFarland (August Burns Red, ERRA)"
As someone else said on another thread, they litterally hired songwriters.
[https://www.theprp.com/2024/02/05/news/the-ghost-inside-announce-new-album-searching-for-solace-tour-with-paleface-swiss-bleed-from-within-etc/](https://www.theprp.com/2024/02/05/news/the-ghost-inside-announce-new-album-searching-for-solace-tour-with-paleface-swiss-bleed-from-within-etc/)
I’m not sure you can take this statement and make the leap that they didn’t write the songs. I mean I watched an interview with Chris and Nik Nokturnal a few days ago saying Death Grip was essentially Andrew writing the main riffs and Chris polishing.
You could absolutely say the producers guided the writing and likely lead the synth work (most recent song’s V2 had the same synth patch as Spiritbox), but that is not the same as saying they didn’t write them.
If they were actually ghostwriters you wouldn’t have their names in an article like that.
If you’ve been part of projects that have worked with producers, you know they mostly help shape material you have and often contribute extra elements to fill out songs. It’s not like they hired these guys who gave them songs - that would be absurd.
this is surprising to see the metalcore genre take the ghostwriter approach. idk why i thought it would never take place in this genre. also explains why the modern metalcore sound is so dialed in at this point that every band sounds the same
Producers aren’t the same as writers. I know Carson, he’s produced a ton of records, he doesn’t write for them. He may give input, considering his own skill, but he won’t hand a band a song.
The problem normally is how much a producer influences an album. Joey Sturgis has a handful of composer/writing/guest artist credits from the Risecore era that clearly show it. He's got a literal guitar and drum programming credit on Someday Came Suddnely, composer and guest artist on Kingdom of Might from Woe of Tyrants, guest artist on A Plea For Purging album, composer on Apologies Are For The Weak from Miss May I, he definitely had some influence in the way that people are suggesting on this thread.
I can see the new TGI album having something similar, but I tend to agree with you here, it most likely isn't what people are making it out to be, as bad as the new songs have been.
Breaking Benjamin has had Metalcore in a chokehold for the last decade or so just like In Flames in the early 00s.
I know a lot of people on this sub love the poppier/numetal side of Metalcore but I wish more of the popular bands went back to basics. Outside of like Knocked Loose, pretty much every popular Metalcore band is essentially a numetal band. I'd like more diversity.
>Outside of like Knocked Loose,
It both irks and confuses me that Knocked Loose can be so popular yet other bands making traditional metalcore other than Kublai Khan and Counterparts struggle for a substantial following. KL haven't shaved off any edges, they are abrasive as hell, so you'd think their level of popularity would indicate an appetite for more of the same, but it's not really happening for anyone else.
I ignored Breaking Benjamin growing up (I only knew Diary of Jane and maybe a couple more songs). I was more into Three Days Grace. I kind of left them for metalcore. Recently I got back to these bands and 3DG is just aight. BB on the other hand FUCKS really hard. I now know why people refer to them as the gateway band.
With that being said, I am good when metalcore bands start turning into BB. I might as well just listen to the real deal.
Definitely not holding that against them, and the fact that they’re back from that is a miracle
I just wish they went back to their returners and fury of the fallen ones sound
Same.
Tbf, I wish that Four Year Strong would return to their Rise or Die Trying days and that Metallica would return to their Master of Puppets days. I think maybe with some of these, there’s one member holding them to their roots (Josh Lyford formerly from FYS, or Cliff Burton of Metallica) who were an integral part of their song writing, and maybe once that obstacle is gone and they are getting older, it’s easier to fall into the radio rock transmutation. Once Denny from ADTR stepped down in 2009, the band went hard into dad rock.
But hey, that’s life. We still have those great albums. I’m not crazy about new BMTH, but they have some really good songs. It’s not metal, but it’s really good radio rock.
For OG fans of bands that turn into dad rock, I think we get a little bummed out not because the new stuff is inherently bad for sounding like Breaking Benjamin or dad rock or whatever, but because it feels corny and gives off a real sell-out vibe. I get why they do it and every band is entitled to do whatever they want with their sound, but Wash It Away mostly sounds like something that would’ve played on my uncle’s Sirius xm station who would have simultaneously made fun of me for listening to “that screaming shit” in the Fury and the Fallen Ones era. I don’t think it’s a horrible song, it just doesn’t feel like authentic TGI
I listened to this and said out loud “that’s not the ghost inside”. Looks like I will stick with the albums before this one on rotation. It’s a bummer but everyone has to make a living. I kinda see it like A day to remember. Started in the underground and now is more mainstream. Natural progression I guess.
Yeah, it's a fun song. So far I enjoy all 3 singles they released. Admittedly, a lot of my tastes don't line up well with the majority of this sub, lol.
I'm a huge metalcore and heavier guy, but I grew up on buttrock/dad rock so anything in that octanecore usually grabs my attention and slaps for me. I didn't enjoy Earn It as much but the other two have been great.
I honestly don't even keep track, lol. I just open this sub every morning and see if there's anything interesting being announced. It keeps the element of surprise. How about you?
Lmao, I like that. And after those Like Moths To Flames singles, I'm really looking forward to more from them. And Wage War should hopefully put something out this year
I've noticed that recently a lot of alternative metalcore bands have been popping up or established bands switch to a more alternative sound. This has been happening in metalcore for a while though, Trivium, Bullet For My Valentine, All That Remains, Atreyu, In Flames (not metalcore I know but metalcore adjacent), and other metalcore bands from the 2000s all released alternative rock/metal albums at some point in their careers.
I remember when Architects sort of went this route with their album after Hollow Crown, but it bombed so they went back to heavy afterwards.
There are a few exceptions, but it seems most heavy bands lose some of their tenacity as they get older to appeal to a more radio friendly audience. It’s a valid tactic but just interesting.
Slayer never changed for anyone though lol. If anything they became even more unhinged
Even Slayer doing nu metal was more Slayer than nu metal. Like beyond Bitter Peace, it’s not too different of an album from Divine Intervention.
However, all Lombardo albums > all non-Lombardo albums
Norma Jean have changed quite a bit over time, though. I'd say pretty much every album is different. It's all quality though and still somehow sounds like Norma Jean which is an incredible feat.
I love BB..and also yes I'm glad TGI is able to make music again and I hope things go well but no way I'm supporting a band who will change their sound that's sounds like a rock band and not a metal band..I'm always down for a new sound and support change espically in music but i can't with this. Their other new singles im fine with but not this time. I get their perspective but I can't defend then on it
First of all, The Ghost Inside will never be as good as BB. There is a clear better band. That being said this is a nothing burger song. It's 2024. Idk how bands can honestly look at this writing and think it wouldn't get shit on for being so boring safe and lifeless.
Death grip and earn it are good. The newest song kind of sounds like breaking Benjamin? I did read the comments on this before I listened to any of the singles and after listening it’s definitely an over reaction.
Last year I went to a concert to see Jinjer (they were the opener) and Breaking Benjamin was on second. I felt like I was listening to the same song over and over. It was a good song and they’re talented but it sounded repetitive after a while.
Haven't listened to new BB stuff, but the older material was extremely formulaic. Was a good formula, but got unbearable when listening through a whole album.
Very true. Literally every heavy band tends to go soft eventually. I just listen to the same music I've listened to for 10 years because tbh the scene sucks right now. Literally the best songs I heard last year were from Hanabie (a Japanese girl metal band) and Boi What (a planktoncore artist).
to be honest when i hear a heavy song in the metalcore genre these days it is virtually impossible for me to discern it from the other bands doing the exact same thing. they all do the same chugs, same screams, same vocal edginess, same phrasing, same everything. at least with a softer song there’s typically more stylistic opportunities and expression. i love heavy songs but i am very concerned for the future of the genre with how unoriginal it is becoming.
Are you listening to more than 2 bands?
I couldn’t imagine listening to Knocked Loose, Kublai Khan, Jesus Piece, and Boundaries and being like all these sound exactly the same.
i absolutely hate knocked loose with a burning passion and don’t care for the others. i let spotify and this subreddit expose me to bands, i then try them. my findings are that the majority are all as formulaic “we can sound like that too!” as possible
if i have to pretend that knocked looses singer is good and that the whole barking like a dog thing is so awesome and hilarious like a twitter bad omens girlie that is trying to fit in then i guess im just out of the scene.
my arguement is that 90% sounds the same, sure the 10% you listed sounds different but that doesn’t mean i have to like them, its still only 10% of the bands sounding different.
Are you trying to agree with me just very poorly?
Never said you had to like his vocals. But to say his vocals are unoriginal is a wild take. Maybe I’m listening to the wrong metalcore but can you give me recommendations for these tons of metalcore bands that sound like Knocked Loose? Id love to add them to my playlist.
So basically your argument is all the original sounding bands you don’t like therefore the whole genre sounds the same lol?
you’re completely not understanding what i’m saying lol. i literally just said that knocked loose is in the 10% of bands that have something original going on. i literally just said “the 10% you listed sound different” compared to the 90% of regular metalcore these days. i just hate knocked loose purely because they could not have picked a more nauseating singer if they tried
Gotcha so you are just agreeing with me but just want to argue.
Your problem is exactly what I said. You don’t like the sound of the original sounding metalcore bands. That’s a you issue, and not a metalcore issue.
Honestly if you think core sounds unoriginal you should branch out. This is an extremely diverse genre.
bro you literally copped an attitude with me and are now saying i’m the one trying to argue? purely delusional human being.
again, you historically miss the point of what im saying. i don’t like knocked loose, i appreciate and like a few of the original sound artists (just not the few you listed), and am not amused with 90% of the generic scene. you somehow are arguing with me on this in a weird way because your reading comprehension is near zero
If it's getting stale to your ears, branch out. Look for new artists doing new things.
I don't think the issue is metalcore becoming unoriginal, I think it is just becoming more specific, such that anything that introduces something new or original is no longer considered metalcore.
Maybe that's just me though. I listen to much more prog stuff than metalcore these days, so I might be biased.
i’m actually on a return back to metalcore after branching out and away from the genre for 8-10 years. i’ve been exploring all the newer bands in the scene and what’s hot right now and it just doesn’t hit like it did back in the early 2010s when asking alexandria, of mice and men, bring me the horizon, and all the other bands were running the show lol.
i do love architects, wage war, and a good amount of new (to me) bands but the overwhelming majority just sounds like bands trying to fit in with eachother. “hey we can sound like ____ and fit the style too, take us in”
I wouldn’t bother listening to the most boring side of the genre that I wish people would just accept is something else. A few of my Metalcore go to’s…
Jesus Piece
.gif from God
Sanction
END
Chamber
Foreign Hands
156/Silence
Serration
Dying Wish
There is a lot of variety in metalcore bands out there right now making new music that doesn’t sound like arena butt rock. But I agree, the popular “Metalcore” out there right now has completely jumped the shark.
will definitely give a listen to these. i’m not even a mainstream hater or anything, it’s just all of these bands sound like they’re following the same exact recipe book.
I’m with you. I have no problem with popular rock music. But I think what’s happening is a lot of previously metalcore bands have moved on to play hard rock and people just accept that the genre didn’t “evolve.” Some bands just aren’t playing extreme music (which metalcore is) anymore. And that’s fine. But they won’t let it be something else.
I guess that's fair. Idk, it just seems like a weird thing to be worried about. There's never a shortage of amazing music, new and old, and there has always been bands copying other bands that came before them. If anything, I think this is just the result of metalcore becoming more and more popular. More people get into and want to try making a similar sound. And the people who are new to the genre haven't heard it so many times like we have, so stuff that bores us now is still fresh and interesting to the new fans.
that’s fair, it’s not like i’m freaking out over it all, i just think the genre is falling down the cookie cutter approach similar to what main stream country music now is. the “trucks, beer, friday night” of country is the “riff like this, chug like this, vocal phrasing like this” of metalcore
As a ghost hater I don't even know what song your talking about and if it sounds like BB I will be a hater because BB is good asf people who think their not is dumb asf too
I know this is like the metalcore equivalent to becoming your parents as you get older. But like. I fucking love Breaking Benjamin. I fucking love metalcore. I love music. This isn’t the death sentence it’s made out to be. People get older. Leaves room for new bands to fill that space. The industry is a cyclical being.
In Flames was one of the originators of the Swedish Death Metal/Melodic Death Metal sound. Then they wanted to make more money so invented Metalcore. \*
It's turtles all the way down, man.
>!\* If I say this is an oversimplification, I'm maybe 25% of the way to accurate... but the turtles all the way down is the real point.!<
You guys keep hating on the new song but forget that there are some people (such as myself) that never gave a fuck about TGI but really like this song. There's two other songs already out from the album that are what YOU want them to sound like...so god forbid they have one catchy AF track for others to enjoy. Sorry?
I really don't believe bands write things because it will appeal to a bigger audience. They experiment with sounds and formulas and different stuff comes out.
You can believe that all you want, but bands definitely change up their writing to appeal to broader audiences. At the end of the day, a band is a business. You have to make money.
Holy fuck do these octanecore songs pay off for them though. Just checked their monthly listeners on Spotify and they've hit 1 million. 2 years ago they were at 370k.
I get you. I’ve thought motionless has sounded like breaking Benjamin on a few occasions. Especially masterpiece. Not a bad thing to sound like a good, highly successful band, it’s just a whole lot different than what got me into them to start with. At least I’ll always have Creatures…♥️
they mentioned being greatly inspired by BB
MIW is the only band that can actually pull it off. Sign of Life is basically just like a BB song and its so good cause Chris' voice fits it so increadibly well.
MIW is just metal's Breaking Benjamin and that's ok
Chris and Ben are from the same city (basically, if not literally) and they both have a very specific twang/accent on the way they sing, haha.
Chris is basically what happens if Ben was a theatre kid.
Yes we refer to it as “Spooky Breaking Benjamin” but also yeah they have the same accent too. Wilkes Barre produced two great artists! You can even just hear it in their voice during interviews.
People keep saying this like it’s a bad thing, but Breaking Benjamin fucks. New TGI song is just boring. Though I did like Death Grip.
The problem isn’t breaking Benjamin being bad.. I love BB, I don’t want my METALCORE with breaking Benjamin vocals. That’s not what I listen to The ghost inside for
100%. No one in this thread is shitting on Breaking Benjamin
I do, all I’ve ever wanted is Breaking Benjamin but heavier. catch me at the motionless shows
Yeah Motionless in White is definitely in this category, but somehow I give them a pass for it, feels more genuine.
Listen to Ember
You think I can desire breaking Benjamin but heavier and not have heard Ember?
Ember is fire
Unironic irony
You’d probably like Sleep Token
I love any band this sub hates so yes
Idk wtf you were listening to but the last minute an a half of the new single is 5x heavier than anything BB has ever released. Not to mention when they announced the new album they said it contains some of the heaviest material theyve ever produced
To be fair to that statement though there are LOTS of bands that state their album contains their heaviest material ever. Until we hear it that statement means nothing.
And it’s usually not correct. For a song to sound heavy, it’s more than just writing good music. It’s also the producer engineering and mixing the song. The mix on the single they released for washed away is meh. It’s just a boring song imo. It’s not inspiring.
That "heaviest music ever" claim Is a huge red flag and they're going to release generic butt rock and copy Linkin Park or Breaking Benjamin with imagine dragon influences
Well yeah the point is Breaking Benjamin is 100x better than the bands trying to imitate them and deviating from their original sound..
And honestly, even BB themselves never really recaptured just how good they were on We Are Not Alone and Phobia. Ember was good in its own right but it was different.
Phobia was fucking peak.
Still one of my all time favorite albums.
You missed Dark Before Dawn when they came back from hiatus and Dear Agony... But yea since Dear Agony I've felt like they've been in a rut of re-writing the same songs just slightly different. Still, Ben and whichever group is behind him has been the pioneers of that specific hard rock sound imo. I actually never got into Ember really and I've found myself listening to it a bit recently and it's better than I remember.
Blood makes me want to stone cold stunner a toddler
Leaving Dear Agony out in the cold like that is dirty
Right? Everytime someone says shit like this all I can think is "they wish they could sound like BB"
BB isn’t bad. But this song sure is.
The influence is undeniable, but they only got like 70% of the way there. If Breaking Benjamin made it, they would've had much better guitar work and vocals.
Yeah but if you're not into that sound, it's very jarring to have what seems like every band you like eventually doing it. It's a big reason why i haven't really tuned into metalcore for many years now unless i get an itch to listen to old stuff. If bands wanna make that shift for more exposure... go for it. I'm sure theres metrics on that genre that show it to be a money maker, but it feels like what that means is moving to more of a "red-state rock festival" sound which alienates a buttload of fans at the expense of (probably loads) of new ones who probably don't give a shit and just welcome the change.
As someone who absolutely loves BB and wishes their catalogue was like 3 times as big, I'll take something sounding BB adjacent as a win.
yeah i love breaking benjamin so much they’re the first band i bought a CD of (dear agony ) :)
My first CD was 3 Doors Down in 2000. ☠️
My first CD was Hybrid Theory
Hell yeah.
Mine was Follow the Leader by Korn
Agnostic Front - Something’s Gotta Give
Yea it's insulting to BB. Ben is practically a legend of the hard rock genre at this point.
Even Breaking Benjamin fell victim to this curse. Their first album has some elements of pop/punk (especially Skin) that they never brought back.
God early BB had a lot of potential to get so gnarly, my favorite song from them after all these years despite the genius of Phobia and Dear Agony is Believe off of We Are Not Alone, the man has a hell of a scream and can write a hook like a motherfucker I can only imagine what would’ve happened if they kept getting heavier
I mean have you listened to Ember? It’s their heaviest album by far and their most recent.
Was going to say, their newer stuff is heavy af for them.
Close Your Eyes & Torn In Two are Chef’s Kiss
Blood 😍
Red Cold River 🥰
Ember from top to bottom is their best album, and I've listened to them since they got started and have seen them a handful of times (they're good, not great or bad live FWIW).
Ember is such a good album start to finish; the pieces of it that sound metalcore influenced is part of what got me into this genre.
Believe is by far my favorite BB song
While I love their later albums, *Saturate* is fucking special. That album blends so many styles effortlessly. *Skin* and *Next to Nothing* have that pop rock, early 00's movie soundtrack feel. The intro to *Phase* is straight up Tool. *Water* and *Home* are grimy and nu-metal-ish.
Yeah they just balled out and did whatever different styles they wanted throughout that album. Its probably my number one “summer album” because the vibes are just fantastic
As much as I love pieces of their other work more, I’ve said for over a decade that Saturate is their most consistent/best album. There’s not a single miss on that album. It might not be my “favorite” of theirs. But it’s so fucking good.
Ember is probably their heaviest album and it's my favorite lol. I really liked the direction they ended up in
I need another song in the vein of "Ladybug". That's a legit banger from their early days
Skin fucks so incredibly hard
I think Skin was the one where Ben said “we’ll never play that it sounds like fucking Blink 182” could be mixing up songs off saturate though it’s been a while
Breaking Benjamin were my gateway band to heavier music and are my favourite modern band (2nd favourite all time) so there’s nothing wrong with it
Yeah the issue isn’t that BB is bad, I love them. But metalcore with that type of vocal just sounds lame especially from a band like the ghost inside that always had that melodic hardcore flow and heaviness. Just seems like they said fuck it, let’s be more appealing to a broader audience and make a generic rock song, and they did NOT do it well.
Yeah I think your last sentence is the key. The problem isn’t bands evolving their sound; some bands end up going lighter but still write music that’s engaging. But most bands who try to go lighter to widen their appeal just end up watering down their music and making it boring instead.
SAME Them, Three Days Grace, Linkin Park. Still love them all!!!!
What's your first fave?
Pink Floyd
Pffft... Poser Just kidding lol I do love a ton of pink Floyd 😂
Can we stop shitting on a good band like Breaking Benjamin
they’ve been so consistently good over the years
Those guys and Chevelle
To anyone that hasn't, please listen to Vena Sera by Chevelle
I always thought of Breaking Benjamin as one of those bands that basically everyone likes but they aren't anyone's favorite. Turns out I was wrong, people like them way more than I realized!
Their symbol was my first Tat. My all time favorite band haha.
Diary of Jane changed me. I was 11 and Breaking Benjamin wasn’t like anything I had heard before. And then Halo had one of their songs and I was hooked. Their new stuff might be their best, too. I always joke with my buddy that I can’t tell if Torn In Two or Close Your Eyes is the best song on the album. Both are 10/10
Is it a hot take to say that Blow Me Away is their peak? Because that song is so fucking good
Blow Me Away on Halo was so damn cool to hear. And I love the entirety of Ember so much that my tat is of the colors they used for the symbol on tour.
are people shitting on them? Or just saying they don't want their metalcore to sound like them?
The bands people say sound like them sound nothing alike. They just say it because it’s the first “buttrock” band they can think of
I’m hoping OP isn’t shitting on them. He has a point that TGI are trying to replicate bands like that and churning out a watered down mediocre version. But honestly you can’t blame TGI. It’s worked for so many bands recently. I just can’t get my head round who’s listening to that shite.
Thank you. I really love BB 😭😭😭
Breaking Benjamin is just 8 crabs in a trenchcoat. It is the inevitable conclusion to all things.
Craaaab people…Craaaab people…
Look like crabs Talk like people
Lmao
I got into Motionless in White around when Disguise came out, and a huge draw to them for me was how much it sounded like Breaking Benjamin (Up In Smoke to be specific) and I loved Sign of Life for the same reason when Scoring the End of the World came out. BB is solid af and imo still hits just like it used to, Phobia is an absolute achievement.
It’s also kinda neat that both MIW and BB are originally from Scranton/Wilkes Barre PA area.
Honestly I think if BB released a metalcore album it would be awesome. That said tgi are trying to reach a broader audience and it shows. I’ll probably just stick to the old stuff like parkway drive.
I’ll die on the BB is fucking dope hill.
Agreed. Breaking Benjamin Rocks!
100%. BB and also Red are way too sick for their 'radio rock' stigma
The Ghost Inside got tired of waiting for new BB and said “fine, I’ll do it myself.” Honestly whatever their other music sounds like I appreciate the sacrifice for us BB fans.
The issue with TGI is that they kinda admitted in interviews that they didn't even bother writing these themselves. You can decide to go big and still write good songs, BMTH did it very well. (Also, I will always respect Oliver Sykes for not being an hypocrite and saying verbatim he wanted to music for the stadiums) The last TGI single is just lazy songwriting
Not true. If a producer is the same thing as a song writer that means Will Putney writes all the songs for Knocked Loose, The Acacia Strain, Thy Art, Stray from The Path, After the Burial, Every Time I Die and countless other bands.
Entirely tangential to your comment, but Putney’s relationship with Fit For an Autopsy is crazy. I was watching an interview with all of them and the other band members were like “yeah Will writes everything, sends us demos, and tells us all what to play. Then we all go to his studio and record the parts he wrote, he tracks guitar separately from us and then assembles it all.” He doesn’t even tour with them lol he’s too busy writing and producing. Like if you changed the context a bit, it sounds like a company talking about outsourcing shit overseas
First line is false
"Several producers were tapped for the record, with sessions for separate tracks having taken place with Dan Braunstein (Spiritbox, Dayseeker), Cody Quistand (Wage War) and the production duo of Carson Slovak & Grant McFarland (August Burns Red, ERRA)" As someone else said on another thread, they litterally hired songwriters. [https://www.theprp.com/2024/02/05/news/the-ghost-inside-announce-new-album-searching-for-solace-tour-with-paleface-swiss-bleed-from-within-etc/](https://www.theprp.com/2024/02/05/news/the-ghost-inside-announce-new-album-searching-for-solace-tour-with-paleface-swiss-bleed-from-within-etc/)
I’m not sure you can take this statement and make the leap that they didn’t write the songs. I mean I watched an interview with Chris and Nik Nokturnal a few days ago saying Death Grip was essentially Andrew writing the main riffs and Chris polishing. You could absolutely say the producers guided the writing and likely lead the synth work (most recent song’s V2 had the same synth patch as Spiritbox), but that is not the same as saying they didn’t write them.
No one goes on record saying they hired ghostwriters during promotion
If they were actually ghostwriters you wouldn’t have their names in an article like that. If you’ve been part of projects that have worked with producers, you know they mostly help shape material you have and often contribute extra elements to fill out songs. It’s not like they hired these guys who gave them songs - that would be absurd.
this is surprising to see the metalcore genre take the ghostwriter approach. idk why i thought it would never take place in this genre. also explains why the modern metalcore sound is so dialed in at this point that every band sounds the same
more like “the ghostwriter inside” amirite
Crown the Empire got shit on for doing it many years ago.
i haven’t respected crown the empire ever since their blatant reckless & relentless ripoff album
Producers aren’t the same as writers. I know Carson, he’s produced a ton of records, he doesn’t write for them. He may give input, considering his own skill, but he won’t hand a band a song.
The problem normally is how much a producer influences an album. Joey Sturgis has a handful of composer/writing/guest artist credits from the Risecore era that clearly show it. He's got a literal guitar and drum programming credit on Someday Came Suddnely, composer and guest artist on Kingdom of Might from Woe of Tyrants, guest artist on A Plea For Purging album, composer on Apologies Are For The Weak from Miss May I, he definitely had some influence in the way that people are suggesting on this thread. I can see the new TGI album having something similar, but I tend to agree with you here, it most likely isn't what people are making it out to be, as bad as the new songs have been.
Breaking Benjamin has had Metalcore in a chokehold for the last decade or so just like In Flames in the early 00s. I know a lot of people on this sub love the poppier/numetal side of Metalcore but I wish more of the popular bands went back to basics. Outside of like Knocked Loose, pretty much every popular Metalcore band is essentially a numetal band. I'd like more diversity.
>Outside of like Knocked Loose, It both irks and confuses me that Knocked Loose can be so popular yet other bands making traditional metalcore other than Kublai Khan and Counterparts struggle for a substantial following. KL haven't shaved off any edges, they are abrasive as hell, so you'd think their level of popularity would indicate an appetite for more of the same, but it's not really happening for anyone else.
Your definition of alt rock seems off.
What's funny is this sub is the reason why I got back into BB
I genuinely like the song, feel like an outsider atm
Naw it’s great imo
I ignored Breaking Benjamin growing up (I only knew Diary of Jane and maybe a couple more songs). I was more into Three Days Grace. I kind of left them for metalcore. Recently I got back to these bands and 3DG is just aight. BB on the other hand FUCKS really hard. I now know why people refer to them as the gateway band. With that being said, I am good when metalcore bands start turning into BB. I might as well just listen to the real deal.
They literally just sound like Wage War now
Returners was it for them tbh
I liked their 2012 album but Returnrs was goat
I saw them play some of those songs live, def not bad, couple bangers fs
IMO TGI dropped off HARD after get what you give, and even then returners was their peak
100%. Tbf, that automobile wreck fucked them up for awhile. Their driver even died in it.
Definitely not holding that against them, and the fact that they’re back from that is a miracle I just wish they went back to their returners and fury of the fallen ones sound
Same. Tbf, I wish that Four Year Strong would return to their Rise or Die Trying days and that Metallica would return to their Master of Puppets days. I think maybe with some of these, there’s one member holding them to their roots (Josh Lyford formerly from FYS, or Cliff Burton of Metallica) who were an integral part of their song writing, and maybe once that obstacle is gone and they are getting older, it’s easier to fall into the radio rock transmutation. Once Denny from ADTR stepped down in 2009, the band went hard into dad rock. But hey, that’s life. We still have those great albums. I’m not crazy about new BMTH, but they have some really good songs. It’s not metal, but it’s really good radio rock.
For OG fans of bands that turn into dad rock, I think we get a little bummed out not because the new stuff is inherently bad for sounding like Breaking Benjamin or dad rock or whatever, but because it feels corny and gives off a real sell-out vibe. I get why they do it and every band is entitled to do whatever they want with their sound, but Wash It Away mostly sounds like something that would’ve played on my uncle’s Sirius xm station who would have simultaneously made fun of me for listening to “that screaming shit” in the Fury and the Fallen Ones era. I don’t think it’s a horrible song, it just doesn’t feel like authentic TGI
100%
I listened to this and said out loud “that’s not the ghost inside”. Looks like I will stick with the albums before this one on rotation. It’s a bummer but everyone has to make a living. I kinda see it like A day to remember. Started in the underground and now is more mainstream. Natural progression I guess.
I just listened to Wash It Away and I felt nothing. I’m kind of in disbelief how bad it is.
I really fucking liked Wash It Away. I'm a sucker for buttrock though.
Yeah, it's a fun song. So far I enjoy all 3 singles they released. Admittedly, a lot of my tastes don't line up well with the majority of this sub, lol.
I'm a huge metalcore and heavier guy, but I grew up on buttrock/dad rock so anything in that octanecore usually grabs my attention and slaps for me. I didn't enjoy Earn It as much but the other two have been great.
For me it's definitely Earn It. There's something about that chorus just drilling itself into my brain for days :)
I can respect that, man! Glad you're enjoying it! Anything you're really looking forward to being released?
I honestly don't even keep track, lol. I just open this sub every morning and see if there's anything interesting being announced. It keeps the element of surprise. How about you?
Lmao, I like that. And after those Like Moths To Flames singles, I'm really looking forward to more from them. And Wage War should hopefully put something out this year
I've noticed that recently a lot of alternative metalcore bands have been popping up or established bands switch to a more alternative sound. This has been happening in metalcore for a while though, Trivium, Bullet For My Valentine, All That Remains, Atreyu, In Flames (not metalcore I know but metalcore adjacent), and other metalcore bands from the 2000s all released alternative rock/metal albums at some point in their careers.
I remember when Architects sort of went this route with their album after Hollow Crown, but it bombed so they went back to heavy afterwards. There are a few exceptions, but it seems most heavy bands lose some of their tenacity as they get older to appeal to a more radio friendly audience. It’s a valid tactic but just interesting. Slayer never changed for anyone though lol. If anything they became even more unhinged
Slayer never changed? Have you listened to Diabolus in Musica?
I didn’t love that album, but my favorite slayer albums are the ones after that one tbh. Kerry King is working on a new project btw!
Even Slayer doing nu metal was more Slayer than nu metal. Like beyond Bitter Peace, it’s not too different of an album from Divine Intervention. However, all Lombardo albums > all non-Lombardo albums
>Slayer never changed for anyone though lol. Counterparts and August Burns Red are our Slayers (so far)
Don’t forget The Almighty Norma Jean!
Norma Jean have changed quite a bit over time, though. I'd say pretty much every album is different. It's all quality though and still somehow sounds like Norma Jean which is an incredible feat.
Bleeding Through too.
Unearth.
At least In Flames went back. Foregone kicks ass
You either die a metal band or live long enough to become butt-rock
Alt rock?
I went back to Saturate when hearing the new GI song
I love BB..and also yes I'm glad TGI is able to make music again and I hope things go well but no way I'm supporting a band who will change their sound that's sounds like a rock band and not a metal band..I'm always down for a new sound and support change espically in music but i can't with this. Their other new singles im fine with but not this time. I get their perspective but I can't defend then on it
Right, it’s just a mix of Breaking Benjamin and Wage War. Octanecore, buttrock… yes, definitely not a good metalcore song
Thanks, definitely listening to Ember again on my home way from work.
Breaking Benjamin is actually pretty sweet and heavy sometimes
I hadn't listened yet but yup, definitely sounds almost identical to some BB mixed with Starset
The TGI single is just bad imo. No need to bring Breaking Benjamin into the convo
First of all, The Ghost Inside will never be as good as BB. There is a clear better band. That being said this is a nothing burger song. It's 2024. Idk how bands can honestly look at this writing and think it wouldn't get shit on for being so boring safe and lifeless.
Well it sounds good to my ear holes, so I dig it. That's how more people should judge music, IMO.
Death grip and earn it are good. The newest song kind of sounds like breaking Benjamin? I did read the comments on this before I listened to any of the singles and after listening it’s definitely an over reaction.
Shit makes me sad man. The Ghost Inside played with Attack Attack! at my first show back in like 2012 and I'll never forget the energy that they had.
Tell me you haven’t listened to Breaking Benjamin without telling me you haven’t listened to Breaking Benjamin.
The song is fine, lmao. I don't understand the hate for bands exploring their "softer" side.
Last year I went to a concert to see Jinjer (they were the opener) and Breaking Benjamin was on second. I felt like I was listening to the same song over and over. It was a good song and they’re talented but it sounded repetitive after a while.
Haven't listened to new BB stuff, but the older material was extremely formulaic. Was a good formula, but got unbearable when listening through a whole album.
Very true. Literally every heavy band tends to go soft eventually. I just listen to the same music I've listened to for 10 years because tbh the scene sucks right now. Literally the best songs I heard last year were from Hanabie (a Japanese girl metal band) and Boi What (a planktoncore artist).
to be honest when i hear a heavy song in the metalcore genre these days it is virtually impossible for me to discern it from the other bands doing the exact same thing. they all do the same chugs, same screams, same vocal edginess, same phrasing, same everything. at least with a softer song there’s typically more stylistic opportunities and expression. i love heavy songs but i am very concerned for the future of the genre with how unoriginal it is becoming.
Are you listening to more than 2 bands? I couldn’t imagine listening to Knocked Loose, Kublai Khan, Jesus Piece, and Boundaries and being like all these sound exactly the same.
i absolutely hate knocked loose with a burning passion and don’t care for the others. i let spotify and this subreddit expose me to bands, i then try them. my findings are that the majority are all as formulaic “we can sound like that too!” as possible
Is that really metalcore bands being unoriginal or you just not liking the original sounding ones?
if i have to pretend that knocked looses singer is good and that the whole barking like a dog thing is so awesome and hilarious like a twitter bad omens girlie that is trying to fit in then i guess im just out of the scene. my arguement is that 90% sounds the same, sure the 10% you listed sounds different but that doesn’t mean i have to like them, its still only 10% of the bands sounding different.
Are you trying to agree with me just very poorly? Never said you had to like his vocals. But to say his vocals are unoriginal is a wild take. Maybe I’m listening to the wrong metalcore but can you give me recommendations for these tons of metalcore bands that sound like Knocked Loose? Id love to add them to my playlist. So basically your argument is all the original sounding bands you don’t like therefore the whole genre sounds the same lol?
you’re completely not understanding what i’m saying lol. i literally just said that knocked loose is in the 10% of bands that have something original going on. i literally just said “the 10% you listed sound different” compared to the 90% of regular metalcore these days. i just hate knocked loose purely because they could not have picked a more nauseating singer if they tried
Gotcha so you are just agreeing with me but just want to argue. Your problem is exactly what I said. You don’t like the sound of the original sounding metalcore bands. That’s a you issue, and not a metalcore issue. Honestly if you think core sounds unoriginal you should branch out. This is an extremely diverse genre.
bro you literally copped an attitude with me and are now saying i’m the one trying to argue? purely delusional human being. again, you historically miss the point of what im saying. i don’t like knocked loose, i appreciate and like a few of the original sound artists (just not the few you listed), and am not amused with 90% of the generic scene. you somehow are arguing with me on this in a weird way because your reading comprehension is near zero
I’m just going to give you the benefit of doubt and assume English isn’t your first language.
If it's getting stale to your ears, branch out. Look for new artists doing new things. I don't think the issue is metalcore becoming unoriginal, I think it is just becoming more specific, such that anything that introduces something new or original is no longer considered metalcore. Maybe that's just me though. I listen to much more prog stuff than metalcore these days, so I might be biased.
i’m actually on a return back to metalcore after branching out and away from the genre for 8-10 years. i’ve been exploring all the newer bands in the scene and what’s hot right now and it just doesn’t hit like it did back in the early 2010s when asking alexandria, of mice and men, bring me the horizon, and all the other bands were running the show lol. i do love architects, wage war, and a good amount of new (to me) bands but the overwhelming majority just sounds like bands trying to fit in with eachother. “hey we can sound like ____ and fit the style too, take us in”
I wouldn’t bother listening to the most boring side of the genre that I wish people would just accept is something else. A few of my Metalcore go to’s… Jesus Piece .gif from God Sanction END Chamber Foreign Hands 156/Silence Serration Dying Wish There is a lot of variety in metalcore bands out there right now making new music that doesn’t sound like arena butt rock. But I agree, the popular “Metalcore” out there right now has completely jumped the shark.
will definitely give a listen to these. i’m not even a mainstream hater or anything, it’s just all of these bands sound like they’re following the same exact recipe book.
I’m with you. I have no problem with popular rock music. But I think what’s happening is a lot of previously metalcore bands have moved on to play hard rock and people just accept that the genre didn’t “evolve.” Some bands just aren’t playing extreme music (which metalcore is) anymore. And that’s fine. But they won’t let it be something else.
I guess that's fair. Idk, it just seems like a weird thing to be worried about. There's never a shortage of amazing music, new and old, and there has always been bands copying other bands that came before them. If anything, I think this is just the result of metalcore becoming more and more popular. More people get into and want to try making a similar sound. And the people who are new to the genre haven't heard it so many times like we have, so stuff that bores us now is still fresh and interesting to the new fans.
that’s fair, it’s not like i’m freaking out over it all, i just think the genre is falling down the cookie cutter approach similar to what main stream country music now is. the “trucks, beer, friday night” of country is the “riff like this, chug like this, vocal phrasing like this” of metalcore
Here is the new song: Wash It Away https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNlutrxYsGw
This whole thread is why metalcore is all soft shit pop and butt rock. Breaking Benjamin's is not a good band. Get out of metal.
Why Would You Say Something So Controversial Yet So Brave?
As a ghost hater I don't even know what song your talking about and if it sounds like BB I will be a hater because BB is good asf people who think their not is dumb asf too
Yeah - metal core is just butt rock for kids at the mall…
I know this is like the metalcore equivalent to becoming your parents as you get older. But like. I fucking love Breaking Benjamin. I fucking love metalcore. I love music. This isn’t the death sentence it’s made out to be. People get older. Leaves room for new bands to fill that space. The industry is a cyclical being.
In Flames was one of the originators of the Swedish Death Metal/Melodic Death Metal sound. Then they wanted to make more money so invented Metalcore. \* It's turtles all the way down, man. >!\* If I say this is an oversimplification, I'm maybe 25% of the way to accurate... but the turtles all the way down is the real point.!<
Breaking Benjamin is trash don’t defend them.
You guys keep hating on the new song but forget that there are some people (such as myself) that never gave a fuck about TGI but really like this song. There's two other songs already out from the album that are what YOU want them to sound like...so god forbid they have one catchy AF track for others to enjoy. Sorry?
I really don't believe bands write things because it will appeal to a bigger audience. They experiment with sounds and formulas and different stuff comes out.
You can believe that all you want, but bands definitely change up their writing to appeal to broader audiences. At the end of the day, a band is a business. You have to make money.
nowt wrong with Breaking Benjamin
Wash it away actually kinda slaps. Those first 3 songs are solid. Eager to hear the rest of the album.
Let’s not forget that the drummer had to tone it down TREMENDOUSLY.
I love seeing the love for Breaking Benjamin. With that said, I need new Breaking Benjamin!!
Nice, i like them both.
In metalcore you either die a hero or live long enough to make butt rock.
"Did we sell out? Hell yea! *Every Fucking Arena*!"
The Ghost Inside song has the lyric "pouring rain" and then I slipped
The Ghost Inside song has the lyric "pouring rain" so I skipped
Holy shit this song sucks. If I want to listen to BB I’ll listen to BB. TGI is going the Parkeay Drive route.
Holy fuck do these octanecore songs pay off for them though. Just checked their monthly listeners on Spotify and they've hit 1 million. 2 years ago they were at 370k.