Breaking Benjamin: Dear Agony, Exceptional

I didn't make a post on this? Shame on me.

I talked about previously how Breaking Benjamin released their 4th album, Dear Agony not too long ago. I picked it up and it is an amazing album; a must buy for alternative metal/rock fans.

The cover art is a CAT scan of the brain, amusingly it is Benjamin Burnley's head, the lead singer and composer. Breaking Benjamin has an interesting way of selecting a theme for each of their albums; the last album, Phobia, was about Phobias, and this one is about Agony, the mind, and the monsters within.

This album has a slightly different touch than the other albums, but the music does not disappoint. As usual, the music was composed by the band itself rather than a writer. The songs do have down notes about them, but some actually end on a good note. "Dear Agony" (the song) was my favorite off of this album, followed by a close second with "Give me a Sign", also ending on a good note. Another amusing line from this album was from the song "Anthem of the Angels" "You're dead alive".

This one is going to go platinum rather quickly, this is a must buy if you are a fan of Breaking Benjamin or you like the alternative metal/rock scene. No pun intended, this album blew me away like Phobia did. Great job guys, I am going to be listening for a while to come (As of the date of this posting, Breaking Benjamin is composing music).

Creed: Full Circle- Great Album, but I'm Still Disappointed

Creed recently released a new album a week or so ago (WAIT, Creed?) and I got to pick it up last night. I have a few initial comments about the album, but over time I will probably listen to the entire album like I do with my favorite artists.

A reunion occured, and I never saw it coming. This fall some of my favorite bands have released albums: Creed, Third Eye Blind, and Breaking Benjamin. All were great additions to my library, but Creed left me hanging a little. Don't get me wrong- the album is great (I gave it a 78.5% initially) but some of the music didn't connect with me. Songs such as:

A Thousand Faces

On My Sleeve

Time

The Song You Sing

were my favorites from the album. Those were my absolute favorites, another 4 almost made it but didn't have the power that other Creed songs had. It wasn't a half assed work ethic, just a different approach to how they normally do things. You could sense elements of Mark Tremonti's full potential, Scott Stapp's personal touch, and definitely a little Alter Bridge in there, but you could tell it was Creed.

They did good, and I will listen to the music for a while to come, but common Creed- where is the Human Clay and Weathered albums of old? Those were amazing. Worth buying? For Creed and Alter Bridge fans, yeah this is one worth buying.

Creed Albums:
My Own Prison (75% OK)
Human Clay (91% Exceptional)
Weathered (95% Amazing)
Full Circle (79% Alright)

Armored Core Series

Armored Core is a great series. Beginning in 1997 with "Armored Core", this franchise would extend well into the new millenium as an excellent game series touting gameplay and customization. This game packs action, fighting and customization into the mix; the third term unheard of in a shooter game.


In the game, you are a Raven, a mercenary for hire. No mercy; no good and no evil, you are in it for the money. Customize your AC (your robot) to meet the need of the mission or create the ultimate death machine.


I picked up the game a few weeks ago, and the other day I picked up Armored Core: Project Phantasma (the sequel to Armored Core). Both are great games, as a kid I had trouble with Phantasma, but I just breezed through 15 of the arena opponents using a simple rocket launcher on my back and advanced evasive maneuvers. Seriously check out Youtube if you have never heard of Armored Core. They have made 8+ Armored Core games (off the top of my head) and they currently have Armored Core 4 for the Xbox360 and Playstation 3.