Shallow Bay: The Best of Breaking Benjamin

Personnel: Ben Burnley (vocals, guitar); Aaron Fincke (guitar); David Bendeth, Wayne C. Davis (keyboards, programming); Jeremy Hummel, Sud Duran, Chad Szeliga (drums).
Audio Mixers: Chris Lord-Alge; Dan Korneff; David Bendeth.
Recording information: House Of Loud, Elmwood Park, NJ (03/2006-05/2006); Larrabee East, Los Angeles, CA (03/2006-05/2006); Mirror Image, Studio D (03/2006-05/2006); River Street Jazz Café, Wilkes-Barre, PA (03/2006-05/2006); Royaltone Studios, North Hollywood, CA (03/2006-05/2006); Saturation Acres Recording Studio, Danville, PA (03/2006-05/2006); The Barber Shop Studios, Lake Hopatcong, NJ (03/2006-05/2006); House Of Loud, Elmwood Park, NJ (04/2002-05/2002); Larrabee East, Los Angeles, CA (04/2002-05/2002); Mirror Image, Studio D (04/2002-05/2002); River Street Jazz Café, Wilkes-Barre, PA (04/2002-05/2002); Royaltone Studios, North Hollywood, CA (04/2002-05/2002); Saturation Acres Recording Studio, Danville, PA (04/2002-05/2002); The Barber Shop Studios, Lake Hopatcong, NJ (04/2002-05/2002); House Of Loud, Elmwood Park, NJ (05/2002); Larrabee East, Los Angeles, CA (05/2002); Mirror Image, Studio D (05/2002); River Street Jazz Café, Wilkes-Barre, PA (05/2002); Royaltone Studios, North Hollywood, CA (05/2002); Saturation Acres Recording Studio, Danville, PA (05/2002); The Barber Shop Studios, Lake Hopatcong, NJ (05/2002); House Of Loud, Elmwood Park, NJ (10/2003-01/2004); Larrabee East, Los Angeles, CA (10/2003-01/2004); Mirror Image, Studio D (10/2003-01/2004); River Street Jazz Café, Wilkes-Barre, PA (10/2003-01/2004); Royaltone Studios, North Hollywood, CA (10/2003-01/2004); Saturation Acres Recording Studio, Danville, PA (10/2003-01/2004); The Barber Shop Studios, Lake Hopatcong, NJ (10/2003-01/2004).
Photographers: Phillip Graybill; Mauro Alvarez.
Arrangers: Benjamin Burnley; David Bendeth; Breaking Benjamin.
The greatest-hits compilation is one of those great indicators of fame. They serve as a benchmark of sorts, letting the public at large know that if you aren't already listening to a band, you need to check them out. With four albums under their belt (one gold and two platinum), Breaking Benjamin has reached an incredible level of fame in a pretty short amount of time. It's surprising, then, that Shallow Bay: The Best of Breaking Benjamin, should be released right at the time when it seems like the band is at one of its rockiest points, pushing out a collection of some of their highest moments while the band is on hiatus and down Mark Klepaski and Aaron Fink, who were fired in 2011. In a way, this collection marks the end of an era for the band, representing the way things were before the band went through a slew of changes. As far as compilations go, Shallow Bay is a great jumping on point for new fans, capturing the band at their height delivering some of their best moments in one convenient package. For older fans, this collection may just serve as a reminder of a crucial turning point in Breaking Benjamin's career. ~ Gregory Heaney