Having no knowledge of the band beforehand, I played the album and I swear, by just looking at the title "A Poisoned Kiss To Reality", let alone listening to the music, nothing would convince me it wasn't one of your run-of-the-mill so-called "Gothic Rock / Metal" from Finland. However, after looking at the members' names and the band's Facebook page,  it turned out to be a bunch of Italians, totally-immersed in the genre.

This album showcases a purely and typically Suomi Metal / Rock sound ranging from H.I.M. and their likes to heavier stuff like TO/DIE/FOR, SENTENCED and POISONBLACK, which are obviously mentioned among the band's main influences. Well, they even label themselves Finnish Gothic Rock as if it was a whole independent and established subgenre, which is more or less plausible.

There is nothing I would complain about in this record, despite the repetitive and almost-mediocre sound. The songs are quite catchy that would definitely grow on you after a couple of listens. Soaring vocals, dominant keyboards, occasional orchestrations  and "classic" riffs. Hence the instant inspiration that they are some Metallers from Helsinki or something.

I would give THE STRIGAS some credit for perfectly fooling me into thinking they're Finnish. Still, the music is plain old stuff recreated for that very purpose, and it brings nothing new / interesting.