This era closed with the band on indefinite hiatus, but the music from 2001–2011 ensured that when they returned, the army of fans who knew every word to "So Cold" and "The Diary of Jane" would be waiting. For fans looking to start their collection, begin with Phobia, then work backwards through We Are Not Alone, and finally explore the raw B-sides on Shallow Bay.
"The Diary of Jane," "Breath," "Until the End," "Evil Angel" Chart Performance: Peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 (held from #1 by High School Musical ). Certified Platinum. Legacy: "The Diary of Jane" remains their most-streamed song and a defining rock anthem of the mid-2000s. 2009: Dear Agony – The Swan Song (For Now) Released on September 29, 2009, Dear Agony was the final studio album of this era. It was marked by extreme personal turmoil for Burnley, who was battling a mysterious chronic illness (later diagnosed as a severe autoimmune disorder). The album is lyrically bleaker and more introspective than its predecessors. BREAKING BENJAMIN - DISCOGRAPHY -2001-11- -CHAN...
"So Cold," "Sooner or Later," "Rain (2005 version)," "Break My Fall" Chart Performance: Peaked at #20 on the Billboard 200. Certified Platinum by the RIAA. Fun Fact: Guitarist Aaron Fink and bassist Mark Klepaski, formerly of the band Lifer (also known for the Freddy vs. Jason soundtrack), officially joined during this cycle. 2006: Phobia – The Masterpiece Released on August 8, 2006, Phobia is widely considered the band’s magnum opus. It was a darker, more conceptually cohesive album about anxiety, panic attacks (Burnley suffers from a fear of flying – aerophobia, which inspired the title), and internal struggle. This era closed with the band on indefinite
"I Will Not Bow," "Give Me a Sign," "Lights Out," "Without You" Chart Performance: Peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200. Certified Gold. Note: "I Will Not Bow" was used as the theme song for the film Surrogates and as an official entrance theme for WWE’s Survivor Series 2009 . 2011: Shallow Bay: The Best of Breaking Benjamin – The Compilation & The Hiatus Released on August 16, 2011 (with a deluxe edition following in November 2011), Shallow Bay was the capstone of the band’s first decade. The compilation included hits from all four albums, two new tracks ("Blow Me Away" – featuring a new vocal arrangement without original vocalist from the Halo 2 soundtrack version – and "Better Days"), as well as B-sides and rarities. Certified Platinum
This article chronicles their complete official discography from their 2001 demo tape through to their November 2011 compilation album, Shallow Bay: The Best of Breaking Benjamin . Before the major labels took notice, a young Breaking Benjamin recorded a self-titled 4-track demo in 2001. This is the rarest piece of their catalog, featuring early, raw versions of songs that would later be re-recorded.
"Polyamorous," "So Cold," "The Diary of Jane," "Breath," "I Will Not Bow," etc. Disc 2 (Rarities): "Lady Bug," "Inertia" (from the Saturate sessions), "Rain" (2005 alternate version), and "Ordinary Man" (a B-side from Phobia ).
From Post-Grunge Darkness to Mainstream Dominance Emerging from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in the late 1990s, Breaking Benjamin carved a unique niche in the rock landscape. Led by the distinctive, angst-rich vocals of Benjamin Burnley, the band mastered the art of heavy, melodic post-grunge and alternative metal. Between their formation in 1999 and the end of 2011, the band released four studio albums, survived major lineup changes, and delivered some of the most enduring rock anthems of the era, including "So Cold," "The Diary of Jane," and "I Will Not Bow."