PHANTOM LIMB

Canadian prog metallers Phantom Limb’s debut, ‘Mors Ontologica’, is both technically and musically advanced, to say the least. Following the instrumental opener ‘Un Oscuro Scrutare’ – the kind of indulgent intro usually reserved for 20 minute-plus epics – at over eight minutes comes ‘Origin of Ruin’. Where the opener is ambient and atmospheric , the rest of the album is a heavy, fast-paced torrent of technical and prog riffs that mark the musicians out as a tight, focussed unit that can shift the dynamic and feel of a song in the blink of an eye. Twistingly vicious riffs mix with extended technical prog passages and complex bursts of time and feel shifts, all of which are relentlessly brutal. If there’s one thing that Phantom Limb isn’t short of, it’s riffs. They just keep coming, one after another emerging out of the last. Yet pushing the riffs ever further, there are moments when Phantom Limb appear to be prog-for-prog’s-sake and take the riffs too far as to be recognisable as part of the song. But self-indulgence is all part of being of the prog persuasion after all, but the band’s musicianship is outshone by their technical mastery and so there are more great moments than there are great tracks. There are passages in almost every song where Phantom Limb run aground and fall back onto material that is fairly standard metal, as if they are worn out by the more technical aspects of the tracks. And the vocals, though impressive, don’t always work. The death/thrash growls are very good yet the singing parts are weak and don’t achieve what was hoped. Given the band’s technical ability, this album isn’t quite what it could have been, but it’s still a more than impressive debut. Should Phantom Limb play to their strengths – such as they do on closing track ‘Awakening’ – album number two will be much better.

LABEL:

FORMAT:

Self-released

Album

MORS ONTOLOGICA

Review by Jason Guest

RUNNING TIME:

50:00

RELEASE DATE:

13th August 2011

TRACK LISTING

1) Un Oscuro
2) For the Damned
3) Origin of Ruin
4) Intoxifixation
5) Chameleon
6) Engraved Within
7) Follow the Dead
8) Awakening

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

Canada

"If there’s one thing that Phantom Limb isn’t short of, it’s riffs. They just keep coming, one after another emerging out of the last."