"Talk about pressure," laughs Breaking Benjamin vocalist/guitarist Ben Burnley, who faced both situations last fall. "After touring for the last half of 2002 and most of 2003, we came home and it was like, 'Okay, now you have to write the next record.' There's a saying about having your whole life to write your first album, but only a few months to make your second and it's absolutely true. The songs on our first album were already written and ready to go when we got signed, so the concept of songwriting deadlines was completely new to me."

Though Burnley admits that the creative crunch caused a few sleepless nights, he says it was nothing compared to the anxiety he experienced prior to a songwriting session with former Smashing Pumpkins singer-songwriter Billy Corgan. "Hollywood set it up," he recalls. "And I was a wreck. At that point, the band was in a good groove and most of the album was written, but I certainly wasn't gonna pass up the chance to work with Billy Corgan. I went through a period in high school when all I listened to was the Smashing Pumpkins and Siamese Dream. It was an album that had a big influence on me, and I kept thinking about that on the way to the studio," he laughs. "I gotta admit-it was a bit intimidating. I remember hoping that I wouldn't embarrass myself."

As it turned out, Burnley needn't have stressed. He and Corgan pushed and prodded each other to new peaks, resulting in a handful of shiny new melodic gems. "It was the experience of a lifetime," says Burnley of the collaboration. "Billy stressed 'thinking outside the box' and helped me take a different approach to songwriting. Wanting to come in with something that would impress him forced me to work harder on the material."

Burnley's determination to expand his range carried over to the album's recording sessions, where the band (guitarist Aaron Fink, bassist Markus James and former drummer Jeremy Hummel) matched him step for step. "It would have been very easy to duplicate the sound and style of our first album, but none of us were interested in making the same record twice," says Hummel. "As an artist, you want to try new things and see where it takes you." With the explosive new album We Are Not Alone, the quartet breaks from the pack on an E-ticket thrill ride, leaving any stylistic limitations in the dust.

Recorded in New York City with producer David Bendeth (Vertical Horizon), the album offers endless highlights, including the ambitious "Forget It," one of three Ben/Billy collaborations. "It's very cool-both structurally and melodically," says Burnley. "It's subtle, but listen closely and you'll hear the song move up a half-step every verse and chorus. As a vocalist, that's really challenging because it forces me to sing in a different key every time. It's definitely unusual, and had it not been for Billy, I probably never would've tried something like that."

Since the June release of We Are Not Alone, the album is nearly platinum and yielded the #1 Rock single "So Cold."  Their second single, "Sooner Or Later", is shaping up to be just as strong with the added element of MTV2  play.

All sharp hooks and hefty beats, We Are Not Alone starts off with the Middle Eastern melody of the roaring lead single "So Cold" a riff-heavy track that showcases the fretwork of Fink, an expressive guitarist with a flair for both color and crunch. Employing a palette of quirky pedal effects, distorted textures and throttled power chords, he amplifies the emotion in each song, be it the confrontational rage in "Believe" or the sweeping emotional plea of "Break My Fall." "Aaron really stepped up on this record," says Burnely. "He's not so much a riff guy as someone who creates atmosphere. His talents really shine through here."

The perfectly paced album is anchored by the propelling rhythms of drums and bass as well as being driven by Burnley, who brings each melody to life with a voice that's both graceful ("Rain") and Godzillian ("Away"). He soars over the mile-high chorus of "Follow," delivering the insistent hook with unbridled passion and grit. "Touring helped develop my singing ability and allowed me to try new things on this record," he says. "It gave me a sense of confidence that was really liberating."

The band credit Bendeth for the album's adventurous spirit, saying that he encouraged them to reach higher by digging deeper. "David has a great ear and helped pull better performances out of us," says Fink. "He also added a lot of flavor to the record. Unlike the first album, which was all bass, drums and guitar, this record is filled with all sorts of tasty ear candy. It's definitely headphones-worthy."

The Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania-based quartet arrived in the summer of 2002 with critically acclaimed debut Saturate and wasted little time establishing themselves as a vital new voice in modern rock. Fueled by smash hit "Polyamorous," the album became a favorite among critics and fans alike. The band toured heavily in support, sharing stages with the likes of 3 Doors Down, Saliva, Godsmack and hedPE.

"The Godsmack shows were intense," recalls Burnley. "It was our first arena tour and every crowd seemed bigger than the night before. For a guy like me, who was a complete loser in high school, the whole thing was like an out-of-body experience. We walked on stage and tons of people started screaming, even though half of them had never heard of us. But we started playing and jumping up and down and everyone went crazy. People came up to us afterward and were saying things like, 'I'd never heard of you guys before, but you're awesome and I'm gonna go buy your CD tomorrow.' It's hard to describe how something like that makes you feel. We were just completely blown away."

So it went, town after town, all year long. The band has added to that fan base with We Are Not Alone, an album that one-upped its predecessor in both sound and style. "There's still a big world out there to conquer," Burnley adds modestly. "We're geared up to be back on the road again."