UK progressive death metal innovators Cryptic Shift are poised to take listeners on a journey beyond the stars with their new full-length, Overspace & Supertime, arriving February 27 via Metal Blade Records. The Leeds-based duo — vocalist/guitarist Alexander Bradley and drummer Ryan Sheperson — have spent the last decade forging a signature blend of technical thrash, death metal, and sci-fi storytelling, a sound they’ve dubbed “Phenomenal Technological Astrodeath.”
Formed in 2015, Cryptic Shift quickly set out to merge their twin passions for science fiction and extreme metal, first taking the UK by storm before venturing internationally. Their debut full-length, Visitations From Enceladus in 2020, earned widespread acclaim for its audacious compositions, blending progressive structures with relentless technicality — a foundation upon which Overspace & Supertime now expands.
The new album continues the conceptual universe introduced on their debut. As Sheperson explains: “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. Whilst the concept themes of our sci-fi tale have grown, so have our efforts in synthesizing it with the ultimate Astrodeath soundscape.”
Produced by Jack Helliwell and mastered by Greg Chandler (Esoteric, My Dying Bride), Overspace & Supertime also features stunning artwork by Jesse Jacobi, inspired by Moebius‘ 40 Days in the Desert.
Bradley elaborates: “The tall, sombre, cloaked figures were a fitting reference for our main character ‘The Recaller’ as she encounters ‘The Alien Sorceress.’ The backdrop of clouds in the composition mirrors our lyrical attention to astronomical detail, and the cover art echoes Visitations From Enceladus, linking the paths of these interdimensional characters.”
Musically, the album promises to push boundaries even further. Lead single “Hexagonal Eyes (Diverity Trepaphyphasyzm)” showcases what Bradley describes as a “vicious proficiency never before seen in death and thrash metal,” combining relentless riffs with compositional complexity.
The track depicts the early stages of a warped temporal disease, as the protagonist revisits the moonbase from the debut album, blending sci-fi narrative inspiration with punishing technicality. Bradley adds: “Fans of sci-fi storytelling and ripping technical metal are guaranteed to have a blast with this record.”
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