Lovingly pinched from The Obelisk: It was clear from the last Lamp of the Universe record, Acid Mantra, that Kiwi psychedelicist Craig Williamson was looking to do something a little more structured. Williamson, who cut his riffing teeth playing in underrated head rockers Datura, emerges from the cosmic ether now as bassist / vocalist / etc. in the trio Arc of Ascent, which continues some of Lamp of the Universe?s psychedelic exploration, but puts said psychedelia ? which comes on thanks to sitar, tanpura, synths, bells, chanting, and so forth; all of which are credited to Williamson ? in a more outwardly heavy context. Make no mistake, we're still reaching out to the farthest uncharted regions of spiritual innerspace, but now we're doing it with thick guitar riffs! Never know what you?ve been missing until you find it.

These riffs come courtesy of Matt Cole-Baker, and while it's clear Arc of Ascent?s full-length debut, Circle of the Sun (Astral Projection) still holds its protagonist in Williamson, each member of the trio proves essential to the band?s sound, whether it's Cole-Baker starting off the space rock groove of ?The Inner Sign? or drummer John Strange falling right into place with that groove and blissing out on a tom-heavy repetition until the song kicks in. For sheer heft, Cole-Baker?s guitar stays weighty even in its lead tone, offering notes that ring out behind themselves in comet trails. Circle of the Sun works out to about 46 minutes, but with the space-themed artwork, space-themed songs and wide open creative breadth, it feels big and open.

Continue reading: The Obelisk » Blog Archive » Arc of Ascent?s Circle of the Sun Attains Inner Enlightenment through Massive Riffage, Feels Like Sharing.
(Very special thanks to JJ Koczan for the kind permission)