Breaking Benjamin's fourth foray into the crowded waters of early 21st century alternative metal/post-grunge feels a lot like their first three. That's good news for longtime fans of the brooding Pennsylvania quartet. Front-loaded with the singles "Fade Away" and "I Will Not Bow" (the latter was featured in the
Bruce Willis sci-fi film Surrogates),
Dear Agony feels like a well-oiled machine, and producer
David Bendeth, whose immaculate touch helped 2006's
Phobia sell 131,000 copies in its first week, conjures much of the same magic here. ~ James Christopher Monger