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Pommelien Thijs’s catchy tunes are beloved in Belgium — in the Dutch-speaking part, at least.

Tommy Lee shared that he took both tap and ballet dance lessons in his youth, finding an interest in the beat-driven experience of it all. Continue reading…

The album features previously unreleased tracks from throughout Prince's career. Continue reading…

A Queen track with no guitar? It happened in 1986. Continue reading…

“There was an equal chance that both bands would lose audiences”

One of the paradoxes of living in a large city is the tendency of its inhabitants to feel isolated despite being surrounded by millions of people. Something of a “water, water, everywhere but not a drop to drink” phenomenon. It seems—at least to me—that this theme frequently surfaces within the post-black metal subgenre. Callous Faulter was founded by J. Angus in Melbourne, Australia, in order to give sonic form to urban loneliness. Their mission statement is succinct and straightforward: “Modern life is hell and Callous Faulter provide the soundtrack.” And considering that this is a debut record, Callous Faulter is quite a potent soundtrack indeed.

If the weather where you live has become uncomfortably hot and sunny, Callous Faulter is more than willing to conjure dour moods and dismal days. This flavor of downcast post-black bears a passing resemblance to that of White Ward, but whereas White Ward tempers their bleak outlook with pensive, jazzy sections, Callous Faulter presents an unflinching and unrelenting emotional assault.¹ Another way to contextualize Callous Faulter would be to hollow out Cave Sermon’s² melodic textures and fill them in with Aversio Humanitatis’s dissonance and Altar of Plagues’s sinister, oppressive atmosphere. The structure of Callous Faulter comprises only two tracks (“The Isolationist” and “Ocean Views”), which are between 16 and 18 minutes each for a total runtime of 35 minutes.

Callous Faulter employs an extraordinary array of tools to kindle unease in the listener. Sometimes torpid, discordant guitar notes meld with slow, syncopated drum rhythms. Other times the guitars buzz and drone like an angry swarm of wasps, or clanging chords twist together with tremolos to form a grotesque melodic bouquet. All the while, blast beats intermittently pound away like a jackhammer to the nervous system. Speaking of drums, R. Stone’s performance is incredible. The contrast between the intensely complex rhythms and the minimal post-metal guitars and howled vocals does much to keep the compositions from fading into background noise. It’s particularly powerful when the drumming steadily ramps up in intensity towards the end of “The Isolationist” amidst a few stray screams like the last gasps of a drowning person before the song cuts off with a decisive snare hit.

However, Callous Faulter doesn’t always make the most of its lean runtime, particularly during the second track. “Ocean Views” begins promisingly with an energetic intro reminiscent of Dawn of Ouroboros, but towards the midpoint, it slips into a languid and repetitive loop that lasts far too long. In contrast, Callous Faulter utilizes repetition better in “The Isolationist” by breaking the ruminative reprieve before tedium can set in. Things do eventually liven up again in the final few minutes of “Ocean Views,” but not in a way that makes the listless stretch make sense in retrospect. Even so, this could be an instance of a record that might have been stronger if longer, since having so few minutes means that each one matters that much more to make an impression.

As bleak as Callous Faulter is, I can’t deny that it holds a kind of enigmatic allure, its desolate setting calling me back again and again. The first track “The Isolationist,” is a great proof of concept, while “Ocean Views” doesn’t quite hit the mark. As a whole, it doesn’t feel like Callous Faulter has enough time to thoroughly articulate what it wants to say, though there are certainly worse criticisms than wishing for more of it. There is plenty of potential here, and I will be keenly interested to hear Callous Faulter further expound upon this established style in the future. In the meantime, know that if you ever feel bereft of companionship where you live, you can at least count on this collective of misfits within the online community at Angry Metal Guy for support.

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Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 192 kbps mp3
Label: Gutter Prince Cabal
Websites: callousfaulter.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/people/Callous-Faulter
Releases Worldwide: June 1st, 2026

The post Callous Faulter – Callous Faulter Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

It's time to admit these bands are "dad rock," no matter how much we don't want to. Continue reading…

Kingdom Of Giants are back with a new era but the same sensational songwriting, as their new single demonstrates.

Titled ‘Respawn’, it’s the first music from the band to feature JT Gutierrez on bass and vocals, and he wastes no time is putting his mark on the band. A soaring, impassioned vocal display slotting perfectly into the crisp and cathartic sound the band are so sensational at producing. It equates to a track that whizzes and bubbles as much as it bludgeons. A tight, tenacious and technically bold step into the future.

JT had this to say about joining the band and what this song means to him, stating,“‘Respawn’ is the start of a new chapter for the band – and for me stepping in. I’ve been working for 15 years trying to get to where I am today, and joining this band marks a turning point in my life that I will forever be grateful for. Working with the guys has been an incredibly smooth transition and they have become a very important part of my life. I couldn’t be more excited for what’s next.”

Singer Dana Willax has this to add:

“‘Respawn’ is my favorite KOG track in as long as I can remember and I’m so excited to have JT be a part of it. I absolutely love how diverse his voice is and how well we work together and contrast each other simultaneously. ‘Respawn’ dives deep into a relationship that you know is wrong and unhealthy, yet you let that person back in for another chance even when they have proven themselves untrustworthy with something that is so close and important to you, and yet again, they let you down.”

The band last released music in 2025 in the form of their ‘Burning Chrome’ EP. Here is ‘Collide’ from that very release.

The post Kingdom of Giants Drop Thrilling New Track ‘Respawn’ appeared first on Rock Sound.

To mark the fall of the Berlin Wall, Roger Waters invited a stellar cast to Berlin for a restaging of Pink Floyd’s The Wall – including The Scorpions, Joni Mitchell and Sinéad O’Connor

Finnish melodic death metal force SIGYN has officially joined the ranks of Noble Demon and are now unveiling their brand new single and lyric video “The Crawlers”, taken from the band’s upcoming sophomore full-length album “From Nation To Chaos”, set for release on July 10. Blending razor-sharp riffing, epic melodies, and relentless energy, “The Crawlers” showcases SIGYN’s trademark sound while also exploring slightly […]

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