New BREAKING BENJAMIN Album Is 'Done': 'We Are So Excited'

In a new interview with Moshpit Passion conducted at this weekend's Rock Am Ring 2026 festival in Nürburgring, Germany, BREAKING BENJAMIN guitarists Jasen Rauch and Keith Wallen spoke about the progress of the recording sessions for the long-awaited follow-up to the band's 2018 album "Ember". Jasen said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, the album's done. There is [a title for it]. We are so close for everything coming out. We have some big announcements coming. What we can say, I guess, is that we've been recording pretty much full time four years now post-pandemic. Some of these songs we re-recorded three different times. We've had a lineup change. There was some personal stuff going on, individually, families, things in the band… And so to kind of be on the back end of it now, I think it's just something that we're all really proud of."

Added Keith: "We're done. It's sinking in, 'cause we see all the comments, we see all the fans [saying], just, like, 'When's the new album [coming out]? When's the new album?' And, like, trust me, we are so ready to [put it out]. We are so excited."

Jasen went on to say that the release date for the new BREAKING BENJAMIN album will be announced "over the summer", adding that the LP was completed "literally a couple weeks ago. We were at another festival in America. We had one more line to record vocals on, in a room not unlike this," he explained. "We had our stuff with us, so we're, like, 'Do you mind if we punch this real quick?' And so we did. And we recorded that line, and that was the last one for the record, and so that's literally it. We just got masters back. We're doing some different artwork tweaks. All that stuff's happening right now."

Last month BREAKING BENJAMIN released a new single called "Something Wicked". Marked by their signature blend of atmospheric tension, thunderous instrumentation, and raw emotional weight, the track finds the band pushing deeper into their darker sonic territory while staying rooted in the sound that has defined them for years. "Something Wicked" builds from a simmering, introspective opening into a powerful, anthemic crescendo, showcasing frontman Benjamin Burnley's unmistakable vocals as they shift between vulnerable restraint and explosive intensity.

Burnley commented on the track: "'Something Wicked' is a quick look into our influences both musically and thematically. We challenged ourselves especially hard on this record and on this song. We pushed every boundary we've previously had as far as it will go, then pushed a little more. 'Something Wicked' was the result."

In October 2024, BREAKING BENJAMIN released a new single called "Awaken". BREAKING BENJAMIN's first new music since 2018 was made available via the band's new global recordings agreement with BMG. The partnership with BMG also marked the group's first new label home since releasing BREAKING BENJAMIN debut album nearly 25 years ago. "Awaken" quickly shot to No. 1 on the Rock Digital Songs charts and landed in the Top 20 on multiple additional Billboard charts, including Hot Hard Rock Songs, Digital Song Sales, Hot Alternative Songs and Hard Rock Songs. The single has also since surpassed 131 million streams globally.

In June and July, BREAKING BENJAMIN is touring Europe as part of the band's first overseas shows since 2017, with support from CHEVELLE and RETURN TO DUST.

BREAKING BENJAMIN's May 9 performance at the Welcome To Rockville festival in Daytona Beach, Florida marked the band's first live appearance with new drummer Brian Medeiros (RED, OTHERWISE). Medeiros took over from ASKING ALEXANDRIA drummer James Cassells, who had been sitting behind the kit for BREAKING BENJAMIN for eight months after BREAKING BENJAMIN drummer Shaun Foist announced that he would "step away" from touring with the band to "focus on healing" in his ongoing battle with Hashimoto's disease.

BREAKING BENJAMIN are no strangers to the upper echelons of the rock charts. Since bursting on to the scene with 2002's "Saturate", the band has amassed an impressive string of mainstream rock radio hits, with ten songs hitting No. 1, numerous platinum and multi-platinum songs and albums, 8.5 billion combined streams worldwide and a social imprint of over 6.5 million, a true testament to the band's global influence and loyal fan base. BREAKING BENJAMIN's studio album "Ember" debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Top 200 and marked the multi-platinum band's fourth Top 5 debut on the Billboard 200, following 2015's No. 1 debut for "Dark Before Dawn" (gold),2009's "Dear Agony" (platinum) at No. 4 and 2006's "Phobia" (platinum) at No. 2. "Ember" spun off two No. 1 hits at Active Rock Radio with "Red Cold River" and "Torn In Two". "Aurora" and "Ember" charted Top 10 across numerous countries worldwide and topped charts across multiple genres, including Top Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums, Top Hard Rock Albums and Top Digital Albums.

Photo credit: Dominique D'Costa