Can you feel the galactic vibrations pulsing through London’s Overspace? It’s a sign that the Cryptic Shift Tour Ship has landed in England’s capital tonight, bringing their second album Overspace & Supertime, chock full of fresh cosmic adventures, to the stage for the first time. And Leeds’s finest purveyors of “Phenomenal technological astrodeath” have brought some UK-based friends with them: Desolator, bloodthirsty thrash from Southampton; Unburier, from Somerset, playing cosmic horror themed death-thrash; and Mithras, the legendary, experimental death metallers from Rugby.
The 229 Club is amongst the few remaining Central London venues which still put on heavy shows, so we’ll forgive it if it gives off the vibe of a school cafeteria, or – more charitably – a university student union bar. While the process of navigating the TFL galactic Overspace network meant that I only caught two songs of Desolator, the cold, crisp, whirlwind of trad thrashing speed metal into which I entered had certainly galvanized an energetic Saturday night pit.
Unburier. Photo: Joe Norman
Amused at the between-band soundtrack consisting entirely of old-school hip hop, I was really pleased to see Unburier rock up with a fretless bass, complementing John, the fretless king from Cryptic Shift who would step up later. Unburier confidently dished out a no-nonsense 30-minute support slot, encouraging one ambitious gentleman to begin the crowdsurfing hobby that would keep him occupied through the rest of the show. Pretty soon there’s beer all over the place, bodies flying and slipping, while non-moshers hastily retreat to the margins. It’s a small stage here, meaning that the crowd is squeezed together into a thin “viewing corridor” in order to see the bands and that there’s not many places to go when the pit kicks off. It also means that the sound varies a good deal across the venue: too close and you’re ahead of the PA; in the middle it’s decent, but you’re in No Man’s Land; further back and it’s great but the band are down the wrong end of the telescope. Still, I find an optimal spot to witness Unburier doing their thing: keeping it tight, punchy, and disciplined, with some nimbly-thumbed slap-pop bass notes jumping out of the mix nicely.
As a three-piece with an often complex, textured and expansive sound, Mithras need a lot of gear and a fair bit of stage re-working, lugging on a huge array of rack-mounted pre-amps and guitar pedal smorgasb(o)ards, as well as setting up their double-kick drums in front of the house kit. It’s pretty clear why they have so much gear, of course, meaning that their swirling cosmic soundscapes are deep and immersive without compromising the brutality and accuracy of their riffs, and – at the most glorious moments – combining both with an effectiveness that transcends this humble venue. We get some rare material tonight, including ‘The Caller and the Listener’ from the early album Worlds Beyond the Veil, given the production value it deserves tonight, as well as classic material from On Strange Loops. Any band can deliver super-fast tapping solos but Mithras eschew all self-indulgence and make these sections into pure atmosphere, propelled furiously along by the virtuoso sweep of their drummer’s kit-spanning fills.
Mithras. Photo: Joe Norman
Mithras was the perfect choice to support Cryptic Shift, helping us all reach the correct coordinates of this obscure galactic outpost. With the Mithras front kit removed, Shift’s kit is hemmed in by a fence of trellised panels leaking exposed wires – clearly spare parts from the Tour Ship. Following a flurry of colourful and spikey BC Rich guitars, The Shift waste no time, launching into the first track from Overspace & Supertime, ‘Cryogenically Frozen’, showcasing the band at their most jazz-fusion. It’s so good to see these tracks performed. The sophomore album ramps up everything that makes Shift so great: the deftly dexterous thrashy-ness of their guitars, mixed with those magical jazz chords; the vocal range through rasping and growling, to weird whispering and cold robot transmission; the glooping, roiling, bass tone; and the wild, Azagthoth-ian guitar solos. And seeing it live, works to cements just how much work they’ve put into it.
It sure feels like a launch show, even if the venue isn’t doing them many favours. Barely a beer remains un-spilled as the pit action, crowdsurfing, and constant movement from front to back continue throughout. I’m pretty sure we’re treated to ‘Stratocumulus Evergoal’ in its entirety tonight: a nearly 30-minute sonic journey to rival ‘Moonbelt Immolator’, the already 20-minute plus epic from Shift’s debut album.
Cryptic Shift. Photo: Joe Norman
Shift are certainly sounding tight and seem super-thrilled to be debuting this material. If it’s sounding this good already, then it’s so exciting to think how slick it’s going to sound a few months down the line when they’ve toured the hell out of it. I think it’s the recent single ‘Hexagonal Eyes (Diverity Trepaphymphasyzm)’ that connects with me the most tonight. It’s the track I’ve heard the most, and it’s nice to be reminded of how plain weird it sounded when I first heard it. It’s all realised here: the muffled, whirling guitar maelstrom; the unhinged, growling Enslaved-esque vocals; that dissonant guitar drop; the catchy riffs cutting through it all. Marvellous.
If I’m honest, I was enjoying letting the new songs wash over me, savouring seeing all the details played for the first time, yet so immersed in the experience that I can’t recall all the moments that caught my attention…
…and just like that, the Tour Ship fires up its engines and shoots off into The Beyond. Returning planet-side with their first new material for six years, Shift just keep getting better and always seem to be on top form. I honestly can’t think of a more exciting metal band in the UK right now. Go catch them at your nearest planet-side dive bar asap!
