As we’re closing in on the one year anniversary of this albums’ release, now is an excellent time to review it, as they just released their new single, Tourniquet, off it. This album makes a push into the band’s heavy side, with songs like Psycho, giving off strong Pantera riffs, and Red Cold River, which gets heavy into screaming. The classic Breaking Benjamin sound remains on the album even with the heavy elements on songs like Torn In Two, with the overarching melody, Close Your Eyes, with its sing along chorus, and Tourniquet, with its lead riffs across the entire song. Ember has quickly become my new favorite album from the band, due to how it manages to balance the heavy sound while keeping the melodies, which few metal bands continue to incorporate.

Sonically, if your familiar with previous songs from the band, the guitar riffs will sound familiar because they follow similar patterns with rapid changing of barre chords. The vocals provide a fair balance between soft singing and screaming, evident through Red Cold River and Psycho. The lead guitar is present throughout the entire album, with most parts being single notes picked quickly. One problem with the bass on this album is that the individual instrument isn’t audible in most songs, but in the sections it is, it tends to follow the one note repeated pattern.

This album lands in the middle ground for difficulty. With easier guitar riffs on songs like Tourniquet. Feed the Wolf would be an easier choice on drums due to it’s slightly slower pace on the kick. Drummers will find challenge with the inclusion of double bass drum on Psycho and rapid changing of cymbals. Psycho will prove to be a challenge for guitarists as well because of the guitar solo, and with constant riff changes during the intro.