Former members of Breaking Benjamin are set to reunite on March 7, 2026, under the new name We Are Not Alone (via Loudwire), a choice that feels less like a rebrand and more like an inside joke that somehow escaped into the public. The trio of Aaron Fink, Mark Klepaski, and Jeremy Hummel will perform at Front Street Station in Northumberland, Pennsylvania, where they plan to play songs from the early Breaking Benjamin years. Yes, the songs from Saturate and We Are Not Alone. Yes, the same songs still performed by Breaking Benjamin, the band that still exists. No, none of this clears anything up.
For a quick recap on the saga of former members, The band fractured in the early 2010s after taking a hiatus. During that period, tensions rose when singer Ben Burnley came into conflict with guitarist Aaron Fink and bassist Mark Klepaski over their label’s decision to release a greatest-hits collection that featured a newly remixed version of “Blow Me Away,” which included guest vocals from Sydnee Duran of Valora.
Burnley stated that neither he nor the band’s management had been asked for approval and accused the two members of moving ahead without his involvement. As a result, he dismissed both Fink and Klepaski. The situation led to a legal battle, and the outcome ultimately granted Burnley full rights to the Breaking Benjamin name going forward.
Since they cannot use the Breaking Benjamin name, they have adopted the title of one of its albums as their new identity, which is a little like Rob Bourdon forming a band called "Meteora" and insisting it is not a Linkin Park thing. It is technically true, legally safe, and still absolutely baffling.
To round things out, they have brought in Baxter Teal of Deepfield as the front man of the cover band that's got mostly former members....of the band. He auditioned with classics like “So Cold” and “Blow Me Away,” which means the former members of Breaking Benjamin will be performing Breaking Benjamin songs with a non Breaking Benjamin singer, all under a name that sounds like a placeholder someone forgot to change before announcing it. There is no obvious explanation for this project beyond “because they wanted to,” which is as good a reason as any, even if it makes the whole endeavor feel like a strangely specific alternate timeline.
Only one show has been confirmed, although additional offers are reportedly on the table. Whether this becomes a recurring thing, a short-lived experiment, or the rock equivalent of a group text that should have ended years ago, remains unclear.
What is clear is that fans now have two separate ways to hear early Breaking Benjamin material. One is to see, well, Breaking Benjamin. The other is to see We Are Not Alone, a band composed of the guys who helped create the songs but who aren't a part of the band, but are performing songs from said band. If this reads as repetitive and cyclical, it's because it's because it's one hell of a head scratcher.
