### Arc Of Ascent: The higher key

#### 30/05/12 || gk

New Zealand’s Arc of Ascent are on to their second album and things are pretty much the same. What we have here is some pretty derivative stoner doom that lies somewhere between Sleep and Om. There’s very little variation in the songs with all six sticking roughly to the same tempo and style so that after a while, the album just starts to feel like one long song. This could have been good but honestly, the riffs here feel too familiar and like I’ve heard it all before. The melodies have a vaguely eastern tinge to them and the occasional guitar solo does help in breaking the monotony but it’s not quite enough to lift this album up to essential listening material. “The Higher Key” is pleasant, easy listening for fans of the stoner doom genre but I doubt if that’s what the band was going for.

5/10: A bit dull.