Everyone start to get excited, it’s the penultimate month of the year! Across the world, loser publications are vying to publish their best albums of the year lists before each other, even though there’s a whole goddamn month left, you philistines. Anyway, you won’t be finding out our AOTY picks until January, so you’d best stock up on some November picks. We’ve got a smorgasbord of picks for you today: egg-based tech-death for big fuckin’ weirdos, uplifting synth-thrash bangers, death metal so cavernous it’s impossible not to fall in, wintry post-rock that bites to the bone, abrasive post-hardcore, sombre death-doom from a genre titan, black metal so weird you’ll plotz, and a madcap, poppy ride through the travails of an itinerant artist. So browse our selections while you attend to your Christmas list and drown out Mariah Carey with our proggy picks!

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Moron Police – Pachinko
Recommended for fans of: Haken, Thank You Scientist, Closure in Moscow, The Dear Hunter, Bear Ghost
Picked by: Ian

2019’s A Boat on the Sea was an astronomical glow up in maturity and musicality for Moron Police, a tight, half-hour blast of incredibly catchy choruses and colorful instrumentation that touched on surprisingly sober subjects and ranked 30th in our round-up of the top underground prog albums of the entire decade. And now, after six long, difficult years for the band, they have finally taken an equally massive leap forward with the stunning opus that is Pachinko. It’s not only far bigger than its predecessor, but it’s also more ambitious and complex, packing in intricate Thank You Scientist-esque horn unisons, crunchy, metallic riffs, and pulsating synthwave into its wild ride of effervescent, unforgettably infectious bangers. Beyond all that, it’s also a tribute to a fallen friend, a nihilistic yet genuinely touching meditation on the chaos and beauty of existence and the value of those we love and lose along the way. This album made me laugh, it made me cry, and it made me write 1700 words and counting about how it’s my favorite of the year – watch this space in a few weeks.

Recommended tracks: Nothing Breaks (A Port of Call), Cormorant, Pachinko Pt. 1, Take Me To the City, The Apathy of Kings, Giving Up the Ghost
Related links: Bandcamp | original review

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Qrixkuor – The Womb of the World
Recommended for fans of: Immolation, Teitanblood, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Stravinsky
Picked by: Andy

Every so often, an album will release that essentially completes its genre, achieving such a high level of quality and surpassing an even higher level of potential hinted at by countless previous releases. The Womb of the World is one such album, a shining crown worn atop the head of cavernous death metal. Yet, Qrixkuor haven’t merely capped off an entire style of music, they’ve torn open a rift leading to an exciting new frontier. Plenty of caverncore bands have experimented with orchestral instrumentation and swelling choirs, but never very far beyond the point of just being a basic textural or aesthetic addition. Qrixkuor have managed to fully integrate these sounds into the very foundation of their songwriting process in a profoundly authentic manner, elevating the entirety of caverncore while pointing the way forward for the genre. Take note: The Womb of the World will surely be remembered as one of the most important heavy underground releases of the decade, and is easily among the best of of the entirety of 2025.

Recommended tracks: Slithering Serendipity, The Womb of the World
Related links: Bandcamp | original review

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Kauan – Wayhome
Recommended for fans of: Empyrium, Sólstafir, Agalloch, Alcest
Picked by: Cory

Arranged as a through-track album, Kauan’s Wayhome offers fifty seamless minutes of pure, unadulterated beauty. In their distinctive style, the band combine cinematic post-rock with folk, doom, black metal, and ambient influences into a sound that’s both melancholic and nostalgic—journeying patiently among atmospheric shades and rich textures. An endless stream of melodies flows, while compelling vocal and drum performances steadily push Wayhome along. The compositions are balanced expertly, feeling both full and restrained; always captivating, yet never overbearing. Whether treading through fresh snow or sitting by a tranquil fire, this album is the perfect winter companion. 

Recommended tracks: play it in its entirety
Related links: Bandcamp | original review

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Kostnatění – Přílišnost (Excess)
Recommended for fans of: Blut Aus Nord, Deathspell Omega, Mare Cognitum, Melechesh
Picked by: Andy

Kostnatění’s 2023 album Úpal took my coveted blog album of the year spot. The record captured what heatstroke is like—the glut of sun and fissuring ground of the desert. Around the middle of the album, you could almost hallucinate an oasis. The new release from Kostnatění, Přílišnost, is what happens when you finally succumb to the heat and revel in insanity. A dizzying array of influences worm their way into the band’s sound: microtonal technical black metal, noise rock, Middle Eastern folk music, strange synthesizers, death metal riffs, and even some nu-metal. They all work cohesively with a manic brilliance. Although the record is short, it’s non-stop frenetic riffs and feverish riffs are sure to leave an impression for those ready to fully succumb to their heat.

Recommended tracks: Kostely byly mrakodrapy (Churches Were the Skyscrapers); Zpět ke kmenům (Back to the Tribes); Znal jsem tě (I Knew You)
Related links: Bandcamp  | original review

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Novembre – Words of Indigo
Recommended for fans of: Katatonia, Anathema, Novembers Doom
Picked by: Francesco

Novembre’s first offering in almost ten years, Words of Indigo’s immense and grandiose presence perfectly encapsulates the Italian group’s gothic death/doom sensibilities, coming at you with a new lineup, and demonstrating that they haven’t lost their edge in their absence. The album’s sonic landscape evokes the band’s namesake sublimely; its reflective atmosphere textured with a melancholy beauty, where notes hang in the air like breath on cold glass and drums echo against a clouded sky. Their progressive, atmospheric soundscapes are punctuated with razor-sharp riffing, ferocious growls, haunting cleans, and very precise drumming. Also featuring a guest soprano vocalist, Words of Indigo might even prove that a band’s innate sound can survive whole lineup changes, and certainly merits an ironclad position among Novembre‘s best releases. 

Recommended tracks: Statua, Your Holocene, House of Rain
Related links: Bandcamp | original review

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Pupil Slicer – Fleshwork
Recommended for fans of: Rolo Tomassi, Employed to Serve, Heriot, Svalbard
Picked by: Vince

And who says accessible can’t mean awesome? With Fleshwork, UK ragers Pupil Slicer continue to dial back the skronk from previous releases Mirrors and Blossom, hammering and honing their aural chaos and metallic fury to a lethal edge, sharp to the touch with grooving riffs, hardcore stomp, and spatters of furious grindcore. Heightened melodic sensibilities help unify, rather than disrupt, Pupil Slicer’s violent tendencies. Tracks churn like a seething ocean with land always in sight, a visceral current carrying the listener across the album’s tight thirty-six minutes. Three albums into their short career and Pupil Slicer have shown themselves ready, willing, and able to iterate and explore their sound, without ever compromising on the piss and vinegar which made them so exciting to begin with.

Recommended tracks: Heather, Sacrosanct, Black Scrawl, Fleshwork
Related links: Bandcamp | original review

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VoidCeremony – Abditum
Recommended for fans of: Decrepit Birth, Cosmic Putrefaction, Stargazer
Picked by: Justin

VoidCeremony have been on a streak of consistency over the past decade, not only in quality, but in meaningful evolution as well.  From pummeling, brawny death metal to occult, liquefying tech-death, the Californian powerhouse has explored every inch of their particular brand of songwriting, and Abditum benefits from all of the lessons learned along the way. Bookended by two instrumental synth tracks reminiscent of 90s video game music, Abditum is chock full of extended jazz chord voicing, vague tonality, and an oscillating rhythm section that refuses to let the listener fully settle. Two or more album’s worth of ideas are packed into Abditum’s thirty-minute runtime, yet instead of becoming overwhelmingly dense or unfocused, VoidCeremony use the brevity to showcase their stellar pacing and compositional prowess. The result is a lean, addicting listening experience, and one of the best tech-death albums of the year. 

Recommended tracks: Veracious Duality, Failure of Ancient Wisdoms, Gnosis of Ambivalence
Related links: Bandcamp | original review

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Astronoid – Stargod
Recommended for fans of: Rolo Tomassi, Cloudkicker, Møl, Perturbator
Picked by: Vince

There hasn’t been much this year to challenge my, some would say unhealthy (or misguided, depending who you ask) obsession with Sleep Token’s Even In Arcadia, but with 2026 nigh on the horizon a new challenger appeared in the form of Astronoid and their third LP, Stargod. Effervescent melodies infused with dimension-warping blast beats and soaring riffs, soaked liberally in the platonic aura of the 80s, the Massachusetts natives have toned down the capital “P’’ prog of earlier releases to create a more streamlined collection of tracks that have been glued to my conscious ever since. Whether that’s the starlit highway banger of “Third Shot” or the feel-good vibes of “Beneath The Lights”, Stargod is pure serotonin, a beautiful work of dichotomies—heavy yet light-hearted, a warm hug in dystopian rains, daring us to look through the murk of modern life to see the glittering horizon waiting just beyond. It feels like love, like victory, like maybe a better tomorrow isn’t so far away, after all.

Recommended tracks: Embark, Love Weapon, Third Shot, Explosive, Depressed Mode
Related links: Official Website | original review

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Non-Subway Picks

Laufey – A Very Laufey Holiday: The Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town Edition (jazz pop, christmas music)
Ho ho ho. As far as Christmas music goes, the Icelandic pop sensation has got it figured out. I know my soundtrack for this month! Queen.
Picked by: Andy

Rosalía – Lux (art pop, classical crossover)
This record is simply incredible with its huge array of influences ranging from pop and cinematic classical to flamenco and the avant-garde. With a range of inspired guest appearances, as well, Rosalía has made a Rateyourmusic/Pitchfork-core album worth hearing.
Picked by: Andy