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Benjamin Kassel
Mar 28, 20223 min read
"Hail to the King" has always wowed me... and now it also makes me think
The tap-filled anthem is one of my 21st-century rock favorites, but its lyrical theming didn't register with me until very recently.
Benjamin Kassel
Mar 17, 20223 min read
Tracking my changing relationship with "Hearts Burst Into Fire"
It's a fitting song to soundtrack my return home... but that's a pretty new way for me to approach it.
Benjamin Kassel
Feb 18, 20225 min read
"Toxicity" exhibits masterful mediation of contrast
My old System of a Down favorite is extreme in its timbral changes, but musically consistent — a recipe for an intense, engaging listen.
Benjamin Kassel
Feb 12, 20224 min read
Diving into "21st Century Schizoid Man" in memory of Ian McDonald
As I've done twice before, I pay tribute to a recently deceased musician by looking back at one of their works.
Benjamin Kassel
Jan 3, 20224 min read
Carpenter Brut's cover of "Maniac" places the listener inside the mania
A "darksynth" retooling of a 1980s movie soundtrack classic gives the lyrics and title a much more fitting treatment.
Benjamin Kassel
Nov 18, 20213 min read
Nothing gets me fired up quite like "Seek & Destroy"
It's a song I consider a sports anthem, and just a track that gets you in the mood for a thrashing.
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