November was a pretty great month for metal, as far as I’m concerned. Any one of the records below is worthy of your attention, especially if you’re a fan of black metal or doom.

Let’s start with the doom. Subterraen’s Rotten Human Kingdom is a monolithic slab of sludgy doom heaviness. These long songs really hit the spot, and the band’s use of crushing guitars and scathing distortion is exceptional.

In some ways Bethmoora can be considered as the darker, slower, uglier cousin of Subterraen. Thresholds is a malignant work of grim foulness and nightmare mood. When the underground vomited forth this piece of nastiness, it created a monster.

On the black metal side of November, I particularly enjoyed Ultime Pulsation | Demain Brûle by Void Paradigm. Consisting of just two massive tracks, both of which contain a wealth of ideas and avant-garde experimentation, this is a notably creative and individual album.

Isolert have really produced something special on their latest album World in Ruins. Theirs is an expressive and rich brand of black metal. With well-written songs and many highly emotive melodies, this is a sterling album with real staying power.

Let’s end with something truly special. All of the above albums are certainly special and stand out from the crowd, but Beltez’s latest offering – A Grey Chill and a Whisper – is really, really special. The dark blackened majesty of this release took me by surprise. I can’t quite properly put into words how fantastic this record is. Just get it, and get lost in its splendour.