ALBUM REVIEW: BEN DRAIMAN - THE PAST IS NOT FAR BEHIND

On one side of the spectrum there’s David Draiman, the lead singer of Disturbed. They are known across the globe and sell multi-platinum albums left, right and center whilst rocking you to the core. Then there’s his brother, Ben Draiman. Who is he you ask? Just look up his stuff, and after listening to the stunning cover of “Stricken” you’ll want to pick up his latest EP The Past is Not Far Behind. I’m not even going to start comparing this to anything by Disturbed, because there’s no comparison. David may be a metal legend, but Ben is an unspoken alternative rock star in his own right.Covered in virtuoso studded material and songs that’ll make you wave your lighters in the air, “Soon Enough” introduces you to the power of lyrical beauty. It’s slow enough to be listenable but not boring, and the distorted chorus makes it a bit more hard hitting. Even “Avalanche” and “21 seconds” showcases Ben being a maestro at everything he does. It’s jaw dropping beauty listening to these tracks! There isn’t a single second where everything he says doesn’t hit close to home. It’s all personal and anyone listening can relate to what he sings. The wistful strings evoke more emotion and nostalgia than this reviewer could withstand!

Listen to Ben Draiman’s cover of Disturbed’s Stricken

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The second half of the EP goes more towards a concrete alternative rock voice. By now, you realize that Mr. Draiman has a flare for the imaginative, from the guitars in “Would You Know Love” and the somberness “Overcome”, these are folk-like in essence of storytelling. You can make a movie from these songs! Finishing up with “Taken for Granted”, Ben presents a more upbeat tune, with the piano cutting through every emotional string you have left, until the very end, culminating with the strings. You’ll be a mess on the floor at this stage, passion riveting throughout, the guitar progression adding more of an emphasis to the hard hitting messages in the grand finale.
The EP is an emotional roller coaster. It’s almost like watching a romantic film, as much as I hate them. This EP will provoke deeply emotional stirrings that you may not have felt in a long time. Don’t let that put this EP in a bad light, it’s just part of what makes it stunning. Ben has not only got what it takes to shine through, but he also has the ability to hit every emotional string in your body. Any artist can shine through, it’s just a rare case like Ben Draiman to make you believe in what he’s doing. We give him 4 skullz!