How many of you heard "Diary of Jane"? One or two? Some? Well, that's good enough for me.

Breaking Benjamin is a Hard Rock/Alternative Metal band, originating from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania in 1999. Before the release of their latest album, which I will talk about in this article, their discography contained four other albums. Now, why did I mention Diary of Jane at the start of this write-up? Well, this is arguably the band's most popular song, which was released in 2006 and gained massive amounts of radio airing throughout that year. So, I'm pretty sure anyone here who is a rock fan has heard this song.

So what happened to Breaking Benjamin after that? Well, after the release of successful albums Phobia (2006), and Dear Agony (2009), the band went into hiatus, due to health issues of the lead singer, Benjamin Burnley. Within this hiatus period, however, legal and creative differences caused the entire lineup, except Benjamin, to leave the band. You'd think that would mean Breaking Benjamin was finished, right?

Wrong. In late 2014, Benjamin announced a completely new line-up, and also made the shocking announcement that a new album was already in the works. And that album is Dark Before Dawn, which was released on June 23, 2015.

So, how does the new album of a band sound, when everyone but the main vocalist is different from before? Well, I'm glad to say that 'Dark Before Dawn' was a critical and commercial success, selling 141,000 units in the first week and debuting at No.1 on the Billboard 200, which possibly makes this the band's most successful album to date. Critics have also mostly praised the album, while longtime fans are simply ecstatic.

So, what's so good about it? Having heard the whole album and going through each song, the most important point that I think led to the album's success is the willingness to stay true to the roots. Breaking Benjamin have started, and mostly maintained, their musical touch of post 2000s grunge and crunching rock, with touches of alternative and metal sounds. This album is the highlight of all that, showing the best of the band with almost each song. Every tune, every guitar riff reminded me of the best songs of Breaking Benjamin, but it sounded fresh as well. Basically, having a sublime mix of nostalgia, technicality and innovation was key to making this album a success.

Speaking of individual songs, I really liked almost all the tracks, which is a rarity in itself. Usually, there has to be at least a couple tracks that I dislike from an album, but not this time. My favorites were 'Failure', 'Defeated' and 'Ashes of Eden'. Both Failure and Defeated are singles, which give us a taste of the classic Breaking Benjamin - power chords, strong vocals, good technical works and intense drums, and a bridge to kill for. Personally though, I think Ashes of Eden is something special. It's a mostly acoustic song, with soft drums, and backing piano and violin - a rarity in Breaking Benjamin songs. However, the lyrics themselves are so powerful and evocative, you can almost feel the emotion from Benjamin pouring forth into the song.

In short, this is one album every self-respecting rock fan should obtain, and give a listen to. At least, go to Youtube and hear a few of the songs for yourself!