Benjamin Alexander - It Won't Be Dark Forever, I Promise

Benjamin Alexander is a musician who has been inspired by the cinematic works of Trent Reznor, as well as the previously mentioned's band NIN and other projects such as Depeche Mode. His discography to date consists of just this EP (or, at least that's what Spotify has shown me). Alexander discussed the EP and stated that it was created during both an isolated and disappointed time in the artist's life. He stated, " I began to see a story of someone floating through life, ghostlike, panicked by the ever growing chaos of the post-modern world. I saw this character to be floating between planes of existence, only to watch the world crumble and fall in the most violent of ways." Thus, the concept for this instrumental EP was born. 

Since this is a website based around the dark electronic side of music (for the most part), I'd like to dive into some tracks that I found to be the best on the EP. I can start with 'Panic'. Though the raw and unproduced sound in the first few seconds had me worried (and my ears discomforted), what followed was fairly impressive. What sounds like guitar fed through a distortion pedal (here comes the NIN influence) is backed by a variety of electronic blips, deep bass, and glitchy beats. There are times in the track, such as at the two-and-a-half minute mark, when it breaks down into a wonderful digital mess and is followed up by sheer brilliance. It's dark meets light at its fullest.

Alexander also stated in his press kit that the album was influenced by Eastern tonalities, and that is easily seen in the track 'Weak In The Knees'. The acoustics in the beginning of the song, not counting the percussion, brought me to a far away land. Towards the end, Alexander manages to throw in a noisy electronic guitar solo that had me ready to commit to heavy metal hair spinning. 

Despite the praises I have given the album, there are a few points that I do have to take away based on general taste. I found the first song on the album, the title track, to be unappealing; though it did mix Eastern influences with industrial rock elements, I found the industrial rock bits to be pretty standard for the genre. It was unconvincing as a lead. I also found 'I Didn't Forget, I'm Just Too Afraid To Ask' to be a bit boring. While the songs moves its pace and, like many of the other tracks on the album, doesn't sit in one spot for too long, I found the sounds on it to be less than thrilling in comparison to Alexander's other work on the EP. 

Still, I walk away from the EP rather impressed by Alexander. For a man without a name to the scene and with no credits behind him, he certainly has a talent that is worth exploring more in the future. He's also one of the few musicians in the field who puts effort in allowing his songs to have several different parts. It's not just chorus, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, verse. Instead, it feels as if Alexander is able to experiment with the sounds in each of his songs; every minute on the tracks feels as if I'm being thrusted into a new verse. This is a difficult feat to pull off but one that is welcome. To end off the review, I can only say to keep your eyes on the man as he grows. He has tremendous potential. 

This review was commissioned through our Ko-fi page.
Feb 13 2021