EN-STIGMA is a project of the bassist Vonifatios which was created in 2014 and is categorized as Galactic Progressive Metal. The basic idea was to record an album but due to financial difficulties it was delayed. The only song recorded was "Infernal Shadows" which was uploaded on Youtube as a single. Things became better and in the spring of 2018 recordings for the album ''Reforming the Universe'' began and were finished in October of 2018. For this to work EN-STIGMA had the help of George Tzachristas (lead guitars, keys, drum programming, growls), Anastasios Nikolaou (vocals), Anastasios Seremetis (oud), Glory (vocals), Alex Seretis (vocals), Infernal Lord (vocals), Helen Tragoudara (vocals), and Constantine Tsapos (guitar solo).

"Ascending to Eternity" is a very brief opening number, with spoken words and light, folky instrumentation. It segues into "Chaotic Intensity," which opens with strings and choirs, leading to a pretty fast riff with some spacey keys. The production needs a little help here, as it sounds muddied and muffled. The harsh vocals are intense, while the instruments rage underneath. The sound...is very unique. At this point I'm not sure what I would call it. Towards the end, you get a glimpse of the "Galactic" part of this album. "En-Stigma" features a fairly traditional guitar riff, reminding me of early QUEENSRYCHE. The spacey elements are more pronounced here, with clean vocals and then harsh vocals.

"The Transcendal Force of the Universe" opens with some ominous sounds in the background while the harsh vocals cut against it with a sickened darkness. The guitar solo marks a passage that sounds like you are being carried into space through a secret wormhole. "Aging Star" opens with a Middle-Eastern flair and female vocals, leading to a grandiose sound. Her vocals are exceptional...rich and full of charm. This is a totally different sound than what we have heard so far and I give the band props for taking things in a different direction. "Decision" is a shorter piece where a subject exchanges words with what sounds like alien beings. The music builds to a tense sound, complete with what sounds like a sitar.

"Operation Infinity" opens with a fairly accessible guitar riff that jumps here and there, and female clean vocals. I could do without the harsh vocals here but that extended instrumental passage is gold. The vocals become somewhat trippy at some point...this is some odd music. "Dreamless Galaxy" closes the album, with some dark and eerie entry points. Again, I get an early QUEENSRYCHE vibe here, especially when all of the vocals and instruments combine in a united front. The harsh vocals are used a bit less here. It end with him saying "operation infinity has failed...humanity is too..." and then it fades to white noise at the end.

This was an intriguing album in many ways. Very personal. Although the production was fairly rough, I could understand what Vonifatios was trying to get across. The myriad of various styles he was blending here would sometimes be hard to keep up with, but that's Progressive music at its core. The "spacey" elements as I call them enhanced the album as a whole. I personally would have left the harsh vocals out of it altogether, but that is just my person opinion. I think there are some things to likes here as well as some surprises you'll discover so have at it.