Richard HolmesSong
Cryogenically Frozen
Artist
Cryptic Shift
Cryptic Shift backstory
For more than a decade, Leeds’ Cryptic Shift have been entrancing the UK underground with their astrodeath dexterity and sci-fi excursions. The Beyond the Celestial Realms EP raised the bar high in 2016, demonstrating their vision and ambition.
Following the 2020 release of debut album, Visitations from Enceladus the band’s star has shone even brighter. Â
Pub stages turned into festival slots and in ’21, legendary US label Metal Blade came calling.
Fast forward to 2026 and Overspace & Supertime, the long-awaited follow-up to Visitations… is almost upon us: Cryogenically Frozen is the second single to be released from the record, after Hexagonal Eyes (Diverity Trepaphymphasyzm) hit last month.
In vocalist/guitarist Alexander Bradley’s own words
“Contrasting the prolonged, cinematic opening of our previous album (Visitations From Enceladus) Cryogenically Frozen wastes no time by bursting into a flurry of jazz fusion-esque movements as if metal had an alternate timeline progressing from the lineage of masters like Cynic, Pestilence and Allan Holdsworth, whilst still remaining true to our death/thrashing tendencies with lightning riffs tailor-made for the headbangers and circle pitters!Â
“Simultaneously, all aspects of our songwriting propel our new character, ‘The Recaller’, through her sci-fi adventures, beginning with a cybertronic shootout and meditations in dreams and consciousness.
“Being one of the shorter songs on the album defined by a pulsing verse and chorus, it ends with a moment of calm before the true centrepiece of Overspace & Supertime begins with the 29-minute Stratocumulus Evergaol which we can’t wait for all astrodeath freaks to explore.
The verdict on Cryogenically Frozen
If Blood Incantation can top AOTY lists and play the iconic Roundhouse, then there’s no reason why fellow space travellers Cryptic Shift can’t follow in their wake. Metalheads are tuning into progressive death metal like never before. Indeed, it’s telling that Metal Blade snapped up the Leeds boys ahead of Overspace & Supertime.
Yep, the label clearly knows it has something special on its hands and Cryogenically Frozen is a good example of why they took a punt…
Hive mind musicianship and interstellar dynamics are harnessed by extraterrestrial intelligence, as the Shift warp reality in nine-plus minutes of cosmic collisions. The track’s heavier parts bear the mark of Floridian pioneers like Atheist and Cynic, and while each member stretches themselves to the outer limits, John Riley really stands out: his sublime playing is reminiscent of legendary bassists such as Tony Choy, Steve Di Giorgio and Roger Patterson, players who helped to shape death metal’s early forays into the progosphere.
What’s next for Cryptic Shift?
Overspace & Supertime will be released on February 27 via Metal Blade. They’ll be playing an album release show at The Dome in London on February 28, with support from Mithras, Unburier and Desolator.
Cryptic Shift photo by Murray Deaves.