En-Stigma - Reforming The Universe
En-Stigma are a very interesting band that seem to have coined the genre ‘galactic metal’. The sound is very spacey, operatic, and also heavy in a sense that it sounds like a mix between power metal, black metal, and operatic metal with lots of atmospheric and electric touches that will present listeners with a roller coaster of a listen that is quite thrilling. “Reforming The Universe” isn’t so much a brand new album, but a remastered version of the original that was created back in 2018 by Greek mastermind Vonifatios and guests. The band has added in instrumentals and a bonus track to try to keep things fresh, so those who have already heard the original may delve into it again just to enjoy the extra parts. For those who have never heard this group before, the music can feel like a two part journey but features plenty of enjoyable moments for those who like a good balance of aggression and soft moments with their music.
The opening ‘Ascending To Eternity’ is very short and has a middle eastern feel to it, something that tends to crop up quite a bit on the album to make things very atmospheric. Things kick right into gear with ‘Chaotic Intensity’ which lives up to its name with a very raw sound leading with the harsh black metal-esque vocals and guitar tones while being lifted by a symphonic backdrop that keeps the track feeling epic. The only thing is that the guitars and drums feel a bit pushed into the back versus the vocals and keyboards, especially when the spoken word parts come in, even though these moments really add to the space theme and tone that the band is trying to go for. Other tracks like ‘En-Stigma’ seem better mixed and include more vocal variety with throaty growls, clean singing akin to power metal groups like Kamelot, backing female operatic female vocals that can be a bit buried, and tons of keyboard atmosphere. ‘Transcendental Force…’ features some excellent melodic guitar bits despite a repetitive, yet catchy riff, and makes use of the middle eastern tones while the vocals take a little bit of a back seat and add some ‘whisper’ effects to keep things varied.
Things seem to shift a bit with ‘Aging Star’ as the band seems to depart from their harsh elements completely. Delving much more into operatic metal with clean and more present female vocals, one suddenly feels like they’ve delved more into folk tinged symphonic metal in the vein of a group like Xandria. It may be a bit out of left field for listeners but for the atmospheric effect and variation of the album it is a welcome addition and showcases more of this type of vocal talent versus the earlier tracks where they seem more buried. ‘The Decision’ further enhances the middle eastern tones serving as a brief instrumental with storytelling vocals, though it segways in so seamlessly it could have just been added as an outro to ‘Aging Star’. As the album progresses the lack of male clean and unclean vocals may seem a bit surprising even the instrumental style pretty much stays the same, as listeners may feel they’ve switched to a whole new band. Things finally come together with ‘Dreamless Galaxy’ where the male vocals are combined with the female vocals, and with the melodic guitars the whole track feels like a big finale from a group like Kamelot, but with less symphonic grandeur even though there are choirs added in.
The bonus instrumentals are there more for those to enjoy the guitar work and drums, which seem to come through a little louder and cleaner versus on the earlier renditions with the vocals added. The cultural influences come in a lot clearer during the softer moments when the harsh vocals were present such as on ‘En-Stigma’s’ earlier version. Other tracks like ‘Aging Star’ are less effective in being instrumental only as the song originally flowed very well together with the vocals. As a result, the one bonus track ‘Infernal Shadows’ might be the one extra that fans revisiting the album might want to check out as it is much more raw guitar tone with less symphonic touches and features a new take on the female vocals by being quieter and yet somehow more effective in the way that it sounds like a different vocalist than before. Ultimately, whether having heard this album before or for the first time, “Reforming the Universe” is a fun listen for those who like a blend of black/ death metal with symphonic and power metal elements despite its rather divisive split halfway through. Featuring lots of spacey elements that don’t feel too overwhelming while still retaining an epic scope, it certainly deserves the genre ‘galactic metal’.
4.5 / 5 STARS
[embed]
The opening ‘Ascending To Eternity’ is very short and has a middle eastern feel to it, something that tends to crop up quite a bit on the album to make things very atmospheric. Things kick right into gear with ‘Chaotic Intensity’ which lives up to its name with a very raw sound leading with the harsh black metal-esque vocals and guitar tones while being lifted by a symphonic backdrop that keeps the track feeling epic. The only thing is that the guitars and drums feel a bit pushed into the back versus the vocals and keyboards, especially when the spoken word parts come in, even though these moments really add to the space theme and tone that the band is trying to go for. Other tracks like ‘En-Stigma’ seem better mixed and include more vocal variety with throaty growls, clean singing akin to power metal groups like Kamelot, backing female operatic female vocals that can be a bit buried, and tons of keyboard atmosphere. ‘Transcendental Force…’ features some excellent melodic guitar bits despite a repetitive, yet catchy riff, and makes use of the middle eastern tones while the vocals take a little bit of a back seat and add some ‘whisper’ effects to keep things varied.
Things seem to shift a bit with ‘Aging Star’ as the band seems to depart from their harsh elements completely. Delving much more into operatic metal with clean and more present female vocals, one suddenly feels like they’ve delved more into folk tinged symphonic metal in the vein of a group like Xandria. It may be a bit out of left field for listeners but for the atmospheric effect and variation of the album it is a welcome addition and showcases more of this type of vocal talent versus the earlier tracks where they seem more buried. ‘The Decision’ further enhances the middle eastern tones serving as a brief instrumental with storytelling vocals, though it segways in so seamlessly it could have just been added as an outro to ‘Aging Star’. As the album progresses the lack of male clean and unclean vocals may seem a bit surprising even the instrumental style pretty much stays the same, as listeners may feel they’ve switched to a whole new band. Things finally come together with ‘Dreamless Galaxy’ where the male vocals are combined with the female vocals, and with the melodic guitars the whole track feels like a big finale from a group like Kamelot, but with less symphonic grandeur even though there are choirs added in.
The bonus instrumentals are there more for those to enjoy the guitar work and drums, which seem to come through a little louder and cleaner versus on the earlier renditions with the vocals added. The cultural influences come in a lot clearer during the softer moments when the harsh vocals were present such as on ‘En-Stigma’s’ earlier version. Other tracks like ‘Aging Star’ are less effective in being instrumental only as the song originally flowed very well together with the vocals. As a result, the one bonus track ‘Infernal Shadows’ might be the one extra that fans revisiting the album might want to check out as it is much more raw guitar tone with less symphonic touches and features a new take on the female vocals by being quieter and yet somehow more effective in the way that it sounds like a different vocalist than before. Ultimately, whether having heard this album before or for the first time, “Reforming the Universe” is a fun listen for those who like a blend of black/ death metal with symphonic and power metal elements despite its rather divisive split halfway through. Featuring lots of spacey elements that don’t feel too overwhelming while still retaining an epic scope, it certainly deserves the genre ‘galactic metal’.
4.5 / 5 STARS
[embed]
1. Ascending To Eternity
2. Chaotic Intensity
3. En-Stigma
4. The Transcendental Force Of The Universe
5. Aging Star
6. The Decision
7. Operation Infinity
8. Dreamless Galaxy
9. Infernal Shadows (bonus track)
10. Chaotic Intensity (instrumental)
11. En-Stigma (instrumental)
12. The Transcendental Force Of The Universe (instrumental)
13. Aging Star (instrumental)
14. Operation Infinity (instrumental)
15. Dreamless Galaxy (instrumental)
2. Chaotic Intensity
3. En-Stigma
4. The Transcendental Force Of The Universe
5. Aging Star
6. The Decision
7. Operation Infinity
8. Dreamless Galaxy
9. Infernal Shadows (bonus track)
10. Chaotic Intensity (instrumental)
11. En-Stigma (instrumental)
12. The Transcendental Force Of The Universe (instrumental)
13. Aging Star (instrumental)
14. Operation Infinity (instrumental)
15. Dreamless Galaxy (instrumental)
Self released
Reviewer: Colin McNamara
Jul 28, 2020
Jul 28, 2020
Next review:
Deathstorm - For Dread Shall Reign
Share this:
