Ultan’s single, "The Tempest," erupts not so much into the room as it does through the floorboards, dragging with it the scent of wet wool and imminent confrontation. This Dublin solo musician, a cartographer of past agonies, presents an energetic rock piece that feels less like a song about history and more like a fragment of it, throbbing and urgent. The main riff careers...

The Australian electro-rock veterans "Caligula" return after 25 years with a charged album full of gothic groove, heavy feeling, and late-night replay value. Caligula are back, and "Bloodlines" does not tiptoe into the room. It flicks on the red light, turns the bass up, and lets the shadows start moving. That matters because this is not a quick nostalgia check-in. "Bloodlines", is the ARIA-nominated Australian electro-rock...