I am kicking off my 2026 reviews with something quite a bit heavier than I usually review, but this album caught me by surprise and wouldn’t let me go. I wasn’t familiar with US-based Null Existence prior to an Instagram ad letting me know about their upcoming full length on January 2, “Cryptic Monolith,” but I liked the clip I heard and was intrigued to dig in more. They previously released an EP in 2021 that was squarely in the realm of deathcore, and though you may occasionally here a nod to it here and there, this is very much NOT deathcore. Bringing in new vocalist Alex Caron helped breathe new inspiration, resulting in a different direction that I believe suits them quite well: symphonic technical blackened death metal. At any given point they could be pulverizing you with intense blastbeats and brutal death metal riffs, blazing ahead at light speed with black metal tremolo picking and melodies, or slowing things down and hauntingly immersing you before destroying you again. Alex is a driving force vocally, with brutal gutterals and otherworldly shrieks that shift as the music demands, even adding spooky spoken word sections at times. He really is a tone setter and matches the music perfectly. The guitar work on here is insane, with lots of spectacular lead work that pays homage to thrash and power while being firmly rooted in death and black, while also layering in acoustic guitar that changes things up and adds depth. The bass gets multiple opportunities to shine, and the symphonic orchestration is phenomenal, adding a pervasive atmospheric edge that is ingrained rather than forced, allowing each song to breathe and build character. This album is brutal and fast, but it makes use of great dynamic contrast and tempo shifts to keep things interesting, daring the listener to discover what is next along the course of each track. 

“Wilt Thou Weep” kicks things off with a slow, ominous keyboard solo, slowly building, until you are suddenly decapitated by blastbeats and blackened shrieks atop tremolo sweeps. It doesn’t take long to shift more into a technical and progressive death metal arena, giving me Fallujah – “Xenotaph” vibes. The song pulls in atmospheric black influences quite regularly, and the vocals fluctuate between the 2 styles throughout. The use of orchestration and keyboards throughout maintains a spooky feel, and the guitar work is just fabulous, showing off plenty of lead prowess.

“Crystalline Blight” delivers a meaty bass groove conjoined with a blastbeat attack and tortured vocals, and the orchestration is again well coordinated to stitch things together and create symphonic overtones. After a killer thrashy guitar solo, there is a killer keyboards vs guitar dueling match that is super well executed and brings nice texture to the song before embarking again on a brutal speedfest. The song ends with a symphonic breakdown that fades out to a single keyboard.

“L’Extase des Damnés” has a blackened orchestral doom feel for the first half, plodding along and making use of dynamics to create a haunting atmosphere, before it decides it’s done being gloomy and blazes ahead with unadulterated black metal fury. It returns to the slower pace for an extended guitar solo to close things out.

“Shriven” is my favorite track, opening with a Middle Eastern themed melody, kicking into shredtastic soloing, then pounding your skull with intensity. I love the variety in this song, and the symphonic aspects really add a lot of depth and character. This is one of the most consistently speedy tracks on the album, but the tempo downshifts work extra well, building atmosphere and allowing you to breathe before being dragged away against your will at breakneck speed again. The last third of the song in particular is very smart about dynamic contrast, a dichotomy of less is more symphonics going against a wall of sound.

The title track’s eerie intro yields to a fabulous auditory display of symphonic blackened death metal. The ominous atmosphere throughout provides a nice backdrop for the technicality and brutality on display. This song in particular is a showcase for incredible guitar leadwork, perhaps some of my favorite solos on the album.

“Wombless” reminds me a lot of Fallujah or The Zenith Passage as it starts, just with a more blackened approach to the vocals. It is one of the more straightforward tech death songs, but don’t take “straightforward” as undermining, as the technical prowess is anything but. The bass gets more of an opportunity to shine on this song, and I would love to see more of this. The orchestration works very well, and I love the softer melodic outro.

“Crucible Sun” bludgeons you with a wall of sound and furious speed, relaxes you with beautiful acoustic guitar and swirling atmosphere, then finishes in a display of technical proficiency. The symphonics again play a strong role in building the song, complementing the guitars and drums so well, and the vocals are just vicious.

“Empyrean Pyres” is an orchestral death doom piece, with slow heavy chugging, massive drumming, and some creepy spoken word vocals. It picks up the pace here and there to keep you on your toes while also serenading you with fancy guitar fretwork, but it maintains an eerie aura throughout.

“Aeonia’s Curse” interleaves speedy death metal with some nifty guitar work, including more nice bass features. This may be the fastest song on the album, as it really never lets up sans a brief section in the final third.

Album closer “Throne of Molten Maw” starts with a killer keyboard solo that begins barren then floats over the top of intense blastbeats, then continues to yield the torch as the rest of the instruments join the fray. After “Shriven,” this is probably my favorite. I love the varied sections and the big epic feel it has. You get plenty of fury, myriad guitar solos, pulverizing drums, and intense vocals. It is a great way to end a great album.

This album was perhaps a surprising start to the metal new year for me, but it was a very satisfying one. You should definitely check out Null Existence, and I am hoping there is an opportunity to hear these songs live in the future!