Possible tw for some upsetting trauma/abuse related topics
So it looks like I’m about to do my first album review ever. Some of the others have done album reviews themselves already elsewhere, but I guess it’s my turn. I chose this one because it’s a favorite of mine, and I knew I’d be able to reveal more of myself by sharing this with you. I just hope you will appreciate it, but if not it’s no sweat. I’ll be alright.
Breaking Benjamin
We Are Not Alone (2004)
(1) So Cold
This is such a great beginning to an incredible album. It really strikes a cord within me and is pure nostalgia from the years I spent in what I call “the hell zone” which was middleschool. The song reminds me of being vulnerable, and having someone taking advantage of that to where you eventually become cold and distant. You are now similar to a rock with no emotion and feeling to keep yourself from being hurt again. It’s like you’ve built a shell that is tough to break because your hard exterior has become inpenetrable to those who wish for you to be open, so they can get close to you. This song describes me perfectly. Though I’m working on it constantly I feel that it’s going to take years to break down those walls that I’ve built up for so long. 8/10
(2) Simple Design
This track kicks in with some heavy drums and a scream that grabs your attention instantly. It’s basically saying that the song means business, and you’re going to want to sit down, shut up and listen to it as it has got something really important to say. The lyrics give off the impression of someone wanting the simple life or for things just to be not so complicated particularly in a relationship. The way I reate to this is that I feel like I’m “too much” for most people. Things will never just be fun and carefree for me. I’ve been through so much that I could never erase that part of me from existence, and the person I’d end up with would have to accept that, or I’d be showing them the door. Lets just say I’m probably going to be single for the rest of my life, and I feel like I’m okay with that. 7/10
(3) Follow
The guitar intro on this really fucking rocks, and when the vocals start up they make me feel like I’m getting lost in a daydream, dissociating, and drifting away. My interpretation of it is someone who wants to found, and to feel safe for the first time in their life. They feel like they’ve been waiting forever for someone to come take them out their misery, but that day never comes. I think it’s pretty clear that we have to save ourselves, and that we can’t count on anyone. It’s a rough lesson to have to learn, but it’s a harsh reality and truth that we have to eventually face in order to move forward. 7.5/10
(4) Firefly
This is one of my least favorite songs on the album but it isn’t bad. There’s a part of the song that makes me think of escaping reality with a person who is trying to run away from something the same as you. But they get to know you better along the way, and they start to regret their decision. It’s like they’ve put you on a pedestal, and then once they find out your not this perfect little shining star they expected you to be, they get all pissy. This song kind of annoys me, but since it’s apart of one of my favorite albums, I’ll let this one pass for now, and will just continue to enjoy the music. 5/10
(5) Break My Fall
I get the idea that the the person singing is trying to find himself in another, and is relying way too much on them. They’re acting like they are there for them, but really it’s actually about what the person they are leaning on can do for them. It sounds like some manipulative shit and also kind of annoys me to be honest. I used to skip ahead a lot of times to the next 3 songs because they are my favorites on the album, and these last two just don’t get me as much as the other ones. But that’s okay because they still can fit the mood, and rock hard, so I wouldn’t completely give up on their importance on the album. 6/10
(6) Forget it
This song is pure gold, and is sadly underrated as fuck. It’s my secret that I don’t really share with others, well until now. I don’t like revealing my love for this song because it can actually bring me to tears. It describes my depression perfectly, but in a way that’s open and vulnerable. It makes me feel like reaching out, but I get the feeling that it will do no good because so many people can’t be trusted. It picks at my deepest wounds, and it reminds me of the man I hate in the mirror, and no I don’t mean me. I mean the one who makes me feel broken, and afraid of myself because I don’t want to be anything like him, but I am. It’s definitely a slower song on the album, but the best in my opinion. 10/10
(7) Sooner Or Later
This song reminds me of the some of the abuse I went through particularly with the cycle of yelling, thrashing, and throwing things one second to the neglect of ignoring me while he just wasted away and took me down with him. I find myself so angry with hatred towards him, yet I still wanted to be close, and help the person who was so destructive towards me. This was when I still had hope, but was full of rage and sadness. Now I am full of those emotions still, but no longer believe anything can be done, it’s too late, and they’re way too far gone. I might still have a chance to break through though myself, but without them. I’ve had to let go of what could’ve been, and that’s been pretty fucking hard, more than I usually care to admit to myself. I also get a “karma’ vibe from the track as well. 9.5/10
(8) Breakdown
This was the first song I ever heard from the band, and that had me instantly hooked. “Breakdown” is exactly as it sounds. It sounds like someone is breaking down especially with the loud scream throughout. It reminds me of when I’m melting down. I used to be really self-destructive, and this song fits that perfectly. I would highly recommend this track to anyone who wants to explore the greatness that is Breaking Benjamin, at least with this album, because the other ones don’t compare. This sadly was the one and only album that I really connected to where the rest have been very meh. They just don’t hold a candle to it, and there will never be another song like this one. 9.5/10
(9) Away
This song is really great too! It really has a whole lot of emotion to it, and it does feel like you’re trying to get someone out of your head, but struggling really hard to do so. It’s when someone has such an impact on you that their voice becomes your own. That you don’t even feel like a seperate person from them. It’s a deep song that I think doesn’t get the attention it deserves. 8/10
(10) Believe
Now this song rocks fucking hard especially when it gets to the chorus. It makes me brain feel all scrambled and chaotic in a good way where I just want to headbang the fuck out of it. I love it and you can definitely let out a lot of deeply repressed anger using this track. It’s a beast. Some people think this song sounds like rape, but I don’t feel like that’s what it’s about at all, though I guess interpretation is up to the individual. I just don’t get that from the track. It does sound like a huge release though, but it a healthier way to me than what is described. 9/10
(11) Rain
What a beautiful way to end the album, and it’s probably one of the best endings I’ve ever heard. I can’t tell you how many times I listened to this on rainy days, because rain does fit the mood of this song perfectly. Though I don’t think it’s really all that literal, haha. I feel it’s definitely about dealing with life’s storms and waiting for the day that everything is clear so you can finally find happiness and freedom. But it’s not just personal storytelling. It sounds almost like it’s a collective cry for better days, and I think it’s perfect. 9/10
All in all I’d give this album an 8.5/10 rating. You can listen to the whole album in a YouTube playlist by following the link above. It just shows the first song on here, so you will have to probably open it up in a new window to hear the rest. I will probably come back to this one for years to come, I’m sure of it! I hope you enjoyed this. It was actually a lot of fun, and I hope to do it again sometime in the future. But for now I am off…
Artwork Credit : Haenuli; Lyod
SYLCollective, Kristin
Music_Collective 