Cryptic Shift Overspace and Supertime Review
Cryptic Shift
Overspace and Supertime
Metal Blade Records
2026
I will start this writing with a bit of a disclaimer. I am not a huge fan or an overly enthusiastic listener of anything with the genre tag of “progressive.” That's not limited to metal. I've never been a huge Rush, Yes, or early Genesis guy. I've never been a huge fan of quite a few metal bands in the same area. HOWEVER, some bands have come along over the years that I have grown to love. Who, you ask? Well, Voivod (to be fair, they may not be progressive, just downright weird…), Dream Theater, Atheist, Cynic, later Death, and Pennsylvania’s best-kept secret, Believer. Those bands have written albums that have stood the test of time, even if they are not easily digestible, hard to market, and usually reserved for prog or music nerds. I say that lovingly, mind you, as some of my best friends are, in fact, prog nerds. They're a different breed, and they can understand it better. But sometimes, despite lofty arrangements, tripped-out concept album ideas, and songs that are forever fucking long, it clicks with those of us not traversing the astral plane. Such is the case with Leeds, UK sensations Cryptic Shift and their latest long player (emphasis on LONG), Overspace and Supertime.
So, what's Cryptic Shift’s story? Well, you see, in 2015, “vocalist/guitarist Alexander Bradley and drummer Ryan Sheperson set out to accomplish a project embodying their joint passion for the art of science fiction and heavy metal music,” as per their press release. From there, they set out to present these interests in Cryptic Shift by combining thrash, death metal, and all things sci-fi. In 2020, their debut, Visitations From Enceladus, was unleashed on an unsuspecting worldwide audience and, despite or perhaps because of its very heady vibes, garnered critical acclaim. The compositions were not only straddling the progressive thrash and death metal fences, but it seemed they were an entirely new, twisted form of extreme metal that many refer to as “Phenomenal Technological Astrodeath.”
So, with some history and kooky descriptions intact, now we have this new album. I'll start by saying that it's going to be difficult to ingest unless you have over an hour to set aside to fully immerse yourself in it. We get only five tracks here, but two of them break the twenty-minute barrier. Overspace & Supertime was produced by Jack Helliwell and mastered by Greg Chandler (Esoteric, My Dying Bride) and features the stunning artwork of Jesse Jacobi. The mix is even, tight, punchy, and oddly enough sounds devoid of anything other than purely organic performances, which is a rarity in 2026 for anything under the “tech” umbrella. On the contrary, it seems the lads went for a more old-school approach that recalls Scott Burns productions from the ’90s. Whether this was intentional or not, I can't say, but I love that it sounds so live and in no way overly polished, though the musicianship is quite literally otherworldly good. With players this learned, there's no need for studio shortcuts, and I am absolutely here for it.
When trying to discuss these songs, it's important to know that there are several interweaving concepts at play. Bradley states it thusly: “The concept of Overspace & Supertime plays as an alternative reality to the happenings of Visitations From Enceladus, taking our character into new dimensions filled with both greater adventures and more bizarre encounters.” The opening track, “Cryogenically Frozen” (clocking in at 9:24), starts the journey with Schuldiner-informed death metal, jazz parts, clean guitars, exceptional lead work, and a precision that is just mind-boggling across all the tempo-shifting interludes and the sheer volume of song parts. Next, we have the epic “Stratocumulus Evergaol,” which is more of that same vibe but also employs several cinematic soundscapes between each movement of the song. There are a lot of them, as this particular tune is just shy of a half hour in length. Amazingly, it never gets boring, and I am fully captivated by their commitment to tackling a marathon track. I have full-length albums that are shorter than this song!
“Hyperspace Topography” (9:40) continues the twists, the turns, and the swirling maelstrom that is the Cryptic Shift sound. An interesting aspect of that sound, at least on record, is that the fleet-fingered fretboard wizardry of Bradley and Joss Ferrington is often hard-panned left or right, which is unheard of today. This technique gives the leads even more character and further aids in the mind-bending aspect of these arrangements. The bass playing of John Riley is phenomenal throughout as well, informed by Tony Choy-like lines and never overstepping bounds, forever in service to the overall songwriting. “Hexagonal Eyes (Diverity Trepaphymphasyzm)” (10:06) is probably the most full-throttle, death-metal-paced kid on the playground here, but it still has the droning notes, the snaking riffs, and the impressive stop-on-a-dime speed and tasteful fills of Sheperson’s drumming before going all space jazz on us at seven and a half minutes, then back again to the razor-sharp, precise tech thrash/death. Lastly, the title track (20:22) closes out with more jazz movements, growling vocals, and dissonance. What separates this track from its predecessors is the abundance of mid-paced parts and clean guitar interludes.
Overspace and Supertime is NOT for everyone and might fall into the progressive category with all of its thrashy goodness and death metal histrionics, but it is in no way inaccessible. There are hooks, well-thought-out song progressions, and plenty of jaw-dropping musical moments without sounding wanky or self-indulgent. They just take a while to get to the easily heard stuff. Again, you're going to have to dedicate some time to this, maybe even repeated listens before you “get it,” but once you do, it flies by and is what every album should be: a great collection of songs. I love that about it. These extraterrestrial weirdos have delivered a work that is anything but normal and thinks way outside the box. Death and thrash need way more of that. Put on The X-Files, put it on mute, crank this, and get lost in the fictional world Cryptic Shift have curated here. Let the weird travel on indeed…
–TB
RIYL – Death, Cynic, Blood Incantation, later Gorguts, Atheist, Vektor, Voivod, Coroner