CREINIUM – Hallucinations
- by Matt Coe
- Posted on 13-08-2016
"Hallucinations" is the debut full-length album from Finnish hybrid metal act Creinium. Together since 2012, they’ve been fairly steady in their output, releasing a demo, EP, and single in succession prior to this 12 track, 65-minute effort. Fusing together a mix of melodic death and progressive, blackened metal with symphonic touches, Amorphis, Mercyful Fate, and Therion come to mind often, plus a little bit of an adventurous side in terms of the keyboard/ guitar interplay while the bass and drums maintain a free flowing meets groove aspect to the proceedings.
Haunting segments float on top of a push and pull guitar/rhythmic foundation – which can offer interesting musicianship possibilities, working brilliantly on "Astral Strain", while being doom-ish and ominous on another highlight "Conscious Eclipse" – where blackened screams and trills during the verses set up wondrous contrasts. Alluring due to its diversity, "Hallucinations" builds off the previous foundation heard on the "Project Utopia" EP form 2014 – and could be one of the hidden gems of the year.