Review Summary: The most epic, adventurous metal album of 2026 so far.
I’ll be the first one to admit that I was not a huge fan of Cryptic Shift's debut album,
Visitations from Enceladus. It was a decent progressive death/thrash album with tons of technicality being shown off and great musicianship, but the overall result of the album just didn't do much for me. I may be in the minority on that one, but it happens and I simply feel that the final product didn't quite measure up. Needless to say, I was pretty skeptical about their sophomore album,
Overspace and Supertime. There was a sense that it just might be a tad overrated like the debut….and I have to admit that I was dead wrong.
This album is only five tracks long, but clocks in at almost 80 minutes. That might seem like overkill, and to be honest, it kind of is, but the riffs take over and you won't feel that length at all. The first track, ‘Cryogenically Frozen’, starts off with some progressive, Cynic/Atheist-esque riffing that makes you feel like you're in a spaceship floating back-and-forth between each and every planet before erupting into technical death metal madness with howling vocals, bashing riffs and one of the best drumming performances I've heard so far this year. There are even some blackened influences about halfway through with some evil-sounding tremolo picking and a frozen atmosphere. The second track, ‘Stratocumulus Evergaol’, is where things really get interesting. It clocks in at just short of a half hour in length and, quite frankly, could've been an album all by itself. The track shifts between quieter, more atmospheric riffs and death/thrash madness with the black metal bits once again rearing their ugly heads at different points. Constantly changes in the style keeps the listener on their toes throughout the entire runtime of the track and also presents a consistency that most bands couldn't pull off.
‘Hyperspace Topography’ and ‘Hexagonal Eyes (Diverity Trepaphymphasyzm)’ are both more traditional death/thrash tracks that still clock in at about 10 minutes each respectively. Even being the most "basic" sounding songs on the album, they still bring forth multiple headbangable moments and almost remind the listener of the late 80s/early 90s scenes of both death metal and thrash metal, conjuring up feelings of bands like Heathen, Obliveon and, of course, the GOATs, Death. That brings us to the 20-minute behemoth title track. This track is a culmination of the entire album with its progressive tendencies and spacey vibes while also being the most intense and brutal track on the album. The drumming in particular on this track is mindbending and beats you in the skull over and over until you feel concussed. It even gives off a bit of a psychedelic vibe in the way that the riffage is so off-kilter and wacky.
Overall,
Overspace and Supertime is an improvement over the debut in every imaginable way for me. 80 minutes is a lot for a metal album, especially in the death and thrash metal genres, but that never really matters at all. Some parts may come to a bit of a lull, but it never stays that way for long. The pace varies, the structures change and the guys keep you on your toes at every turn. With that being said, there are tons of elements presented here that metal fans in general can sink their teeth into. The cosmic vibes are super high here while also paying homage to so many of the bands that came before Cryptic Shift. These guys put their own spin on things yet they still wear their many influences on their sleeve at all times. You can't listen to this album in bits, it has to be taken as a whole experience. It may seem like a tall task, but fret not, there's plenty of reasons to devote an hour and a half out of your life to be taken over by the atmosphere, and most importantly, the RIFFS.
