Arc of Ascent - The Higher Key (2012)
#stoner_rock
Arc of Ascent play a truly psychedelic, spacey blend of Doom/Stoner Metal that will take you to verges of outer space in no time. They play some very trippy heavy fuzz based Doom/Stoner Metal riffs.
They released an excellent debut album "Circle Of The Sun" in 2010 which was acclaimed across the Stoner Metal landscape.
Well two years later the guys are back with their brilliant follow up- The Higher Key. A 6 song and 43 minute psych journey of extraordinary psych-space-rock-doom-stoner metal riffs.
This has been receiving rave reviews from blogs such as Doommantia and Temple Of Perdition. And it's not hard to see why. I had to see what all the fuss is about. Boy am glad I did check this amazing stoner metal astronauts as this album totally blew me away.
You will be amazed by the high quota of top-notch riffs. The way Arc of Ascent blend Space Rocks with modern Doom/Stoner Metal riffs is a joy to behold.
Opening Track "The Celestial Altar" gets right down to business in showcasing this great band's talents. Playing heavy loud bombastic Space Rock/Stoner Metal riffs with Craig's sublime vocals leading this intergalactic trio with mch gutso.
Next up is "Land Of Tides" which has elements of Monster Magnet and The Sword at their most psychedelic. But these guys have a much more original vision. The lyrics are absolutely bonkers but match the song perfectly well. By now this album should have you rocking now.
This is probably one of the best bands I have heard from New Zealand in a long, long time.
"Search For Liberation" starts off with a riff that Dave Wyndorf would be proud to call his own. This 8:16 minute epic then goes all very spacey with some great earthly angelic vocals to match. But give it time the loud riffage soon kicks in. This is an song telling a hugely entertaining story.
All I can say is The Higher Key is the album that The Sword should of set out to make when making their Space Rock opus - Warp Riders. Arc of Ascent shows how it should be done. The story, lyrics and riffs are all brilliantly created to portray a journey like no other you have heard this year.
This is an album for all us spaced-out Psych-Rock-Doom-Stoners to get lost in time and time again. This is only 3 tracks in. The other 3 tracks are fucking brilliant as well and contain the same top-notch psych out there Space/Stoner Metal riffs you will fall instantly in love with.
Especially Redemption and the 9:14 minute epic "Through The Rays Of Infinity" that takes what has came before it and blasts the volume upto 11. A classic psych spaced out masterpiece. Fucking Awesome.
The 43 minutes just flies by. You don't know what you have just listened to but you know this is one journey you want to take over and over again. This album has been on constant repeat on my MP3 player. I have been listening to it for at least a day for the past two weeks.
It's seriously a brilliant album you need to hunt down right now. The production is superb. You can hear every spaced out sublime Doom/Stoner Metal riffs to heavy loud perfection.
All I can say is get buying this brilliant album now from BandCamp right now. This is a fucking masterpiece. Enough Said.
